Saturday, October 3, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
My Birth Story (as I remember it)
On Sunday night around 7PM, January 11, I started feeling a new kind of cramp in my lower belly and a bit of tightening. Jason was going to head out to jam with the guys at a Greenpoint studio, but I had him stay back, just in case, because these cramps were so new and slightly regular. After drinking a lot of water and eating a bit, they subsided and I had Jason go out to have some fun.
Monday morning - closer to afternoon, actually - I awoke with a headache and continued to have the belly pain. A few times every hour it hit particularly hard. I got up, loaded the dishwasher and made a quesadilla. It was difficult to even sit up from the pain. I honestly thought my baby's head was just lying very low and the pain was hitting every time it moved. So I grabbed Arrested Developmentt, curled up in bed with my laptop and kitties and attempted to watch and put the pain out of my mind.
Jason got home around 7PM and made me some steak and corn. I tried to sit up as long as possible but curled up in bed around 9PM. Our friend Dave came by and hung out, leaving maybe an hour later. I finally realized these pains were fairly constant and began to time them. They came anywhere from two to ten minutes apart or so, lasting anywhere from 44 to 90 seconds. I thought how it really didn't feel like labour because it wasn't "tight" the way most women describe, all across my belly, and I didn't see it physically changing shape. But it was quite painful, enough to curl my toes, which Jason laughed at.
I finally called the doctor at 10:30PM, not wanting to call much later just for false labour. He wasn't convinced it was time yet, but said I could go to the hospital if I really felt like it, though they may make me walk around for a while or even send me home. Something told me I should go in, so I called Danelle, my doula. I told her I wasn't sure if this was it, but we were going in. She said she'd be over ASAP.
Once I acknowledged that this could be it, things began to move quickly. I was sick in the bathroom, curled up in bed, and then Jason got to see me puke for the first time, lucky him!
Danelle arrived quickly and we moved to the couch and put on Planet Earth. Contractions moved to four minutes apart. At this point, time stopped moving in hours, but in contractions. Each contraction was a little harder, felt a little more painful, and I began to moan out loud. The space in between I could only think about the relief, yet dreaded the next. For a time I could watch the show, but soon didn't care. Danelle had me stand to see if that helped. It didn't. I sat back down, was offered the birthing ball, but could only moan "noooo". I decided to lie in bed again, and this time Danelle helped me throw up.
Finally I decided it was time to head to the hospital, though I dreaded the trip. Danelle called a car to come in a half hour or so, but the driver had to wait another 30 minutes while Jason and Danelle loaded everything (suitcase, backpack, car seat, birthing ball, and Danelle's doula bag) into the car, though one of them always stayed by my side. It took probably ten minutes to make my way down the three flights of stairs and outside to the car.
Amazingly the car ride was fairly fast, again because time was in contractions, not in real minutes. It was an older driver, who didn't seem to mind my increasingly loud moans. He pulled up to NYU Medical Center's emergency room and was very patient as Jason and Danelle unloaded everything while putting me in a wheelchair.
We were led by security to a special elevator that whisked us straight up to labour and delivery. Unfortunately, two very inconsiderate nurses hitched a ride and laughed and said "you have another eight hours of this, at least!" Had I any ability to speak or move, they would've had an earful or a couple nice shiners.
It was just after 1AM. They quickly led me to a triage room, changed into a gown, strapped on a fetal monitor and one for my contractions, though I was moving so much that they couldn't get a good read, and I yelled "my baby's fine!", because I didn't want to be stuck in one place. Jason had to go admit me, so Danelle took over. It was probably around then that my moans turned to yells, and not much longer until I was literally screaming at the top of my lungs. Jason returned and they checked my cervix; I was 5cm dilated and at -1 station. I didn't even feel the pain of the IV and when the nurse first attempted to put on my ID band, I whipped my hand away to grab Jason's.
Apparently at one point I said I didn't want an epidural, but still the anesthesiologist was sent in. She asked if I had changed my mind. In the intense pain, all I could do was look at Jason, because I nearly cried out "yes!" but knew in my head that's not what I wanted (I don't think they could've put the needle in my spine between contractions anyhow, they were so close and I couldn't sit still). Jason explained to her, seeing my eyes, that I didn't want to risk a spinal headache, as I'd had one in the past and deal with chronic headaches. She still tried to get me to sign the waiver in case I changed my mind or needed an emergency c-section, to which Jason said "well, if it comes to that, can't we sign it then?" She left.
My doctor showed up and told us it was time to move to the delivery room. I don't know how long it took, but every several steps I had to stop, lean against Jason, and scream at the top of my lungs. I felt bad for anyone else delivering or coming in, but also didn't care.
I fell onto the bed. The doctor checked me and I was at 9cm. I now wanted to push but he told me not to, as I had to get to 10cm and pushing now would swell my cervix and make it harder. So each contraction I grabbed a hand from each of my supporters and squeezed and screamed. I even ripped off my gown because I was too hot and honestly didn't care anymore about anything other than making the pain end.
Finally, he told me to start pushing, somewhere around 4AM. I was to stop screaming and put all my energy, which was quickly fading, into it. It took me a few times to figure out how to do it; three sets of ten within a contraction, which moved up to four sets. I glanced at the clock to see 4:15AM and figured I would have my baby by 4:30AM.
Unfortunately, it didn't quite happen. The doctor kept telling me to push, sounding more like a personal trainer, that I had to work harder. I yelled at him a few times, "I can't!" and probably would've kicked him had I had energy.
The baby's heart rate was decreasing with the contractions, so I was given oxygen, but had to rip the mask off with each one as I sucked in so hard I felt more suffocated. The room was filling up with nurses and doctors and med students, and I was told a pediatrician was being brought in to make sure the baby was OK.
The doctor continued to coach me, saying it would take only one or two more pushes and be out. He had Jason look at the top of the head, which was sitting right there. Danelle asked me if I wanted a mirror, but again, I just didn't care at all. The doctor said it had hair, which shocked me,. He said dark hair, to which Jason quipped "that's it, it's not mine!"
Later Jason said the head had been sitting there for quite a while, and finally the doctor said he was going to have to intervene. My first thought was c-section, so I said "no!" But it was the vacuum he wanted to use. I did another few hard pushes. My water broke, which seemed to splash across the room. It still didn't work, so the doctor put on his scrubs and gear, the table was folded up so my butt was by the edge, and he applied the vacuum.
I screamed at him that he was hurting me and he said "it's not me, it's the baby." But my skin was hurting and he quickly numbed it up.
All of a sudden, with the next push, the head was out. I saw Jason's excited eyes get big as the head popped out. One more push and the body was out. It happened so fast and there was immediate relief. It was a boy! But they took him to a table off to the side of the room to check him out. Jason's face was covered with an expression I'd never seen before, just complete elation, and I couldn't stop saying "oh my gosh, it's my baby! I have a baby! There's my baby!"
There was a bit more pain as I birthed the placenta. He plopped it into a container and I asked to see it. Gross but cool. The he had to stitch up my second degree tear as a med student watched.
Still, I couldn't stop staring at my baby. I asked Jason if he still liked "Max", and he said yes. I had Jason go look at him but he seemed wary with the doctors and nurses there and didn't want to leave my side. It took maybe ten minutes or so while they fixed and cleaned me up, and tended to my Max. Finally, Jason got to be the first to hold him and when I was ready, the tiny little life was put in my arms.
My baby's born. Max Ronald Powers.
Monday morning - closer to afternoon, actually - I awoke with a headache and continued to have the belly pain. A few times every hour it hit particularly hard. I got up, loaded the dishwasher and made a quesadilla. It was difficult to even sit up from the pain. I honestly thought my baby's head was just lying very low and the pain was hitting every time it moved. So I grabbed Arrested Developmentt, curled up in bed with my laptop and kitties and attempted to watch and put the pain out of my mind.
Jason got home around 7PM and made me some steak and corn. I tried to sit up as long as possible but curled up in bed around 9PM. Our friend Dave came by and hung out, leaving maybe an hour later. I finally realized these pains were fairly constant and began to time them. They came anywhere from two to ten minutes apart or so, lasting anywhere from 44 to 90 seconds. I thought how it really didn't feel like labour because it wasn't "tight" the way most women describe, all across my belly, and I didn't see it physically changing shape. But it was quite painful, enough to curl my toes, which Jason laughed at.
I finally called the doctor at 10:30PM, not wanting to call much later just for false labour. He wasn't convinced it was time yet, but said I could go to the hospital if I really felt like it, though they may make me walk around for a while or even send me home. Something told me I should go in, so I called Danelle, my doula. I told her I wasn't sure if this was it, but we were going in. She said she'd be over ASAP.
Once I acknowledged that this could be it, things began to move quickly. I was sick in the bathroom, curled up in bed, and then Jason got to see me puke for the first time, lucky him!
Danelle arrived quickly and we moved to the couch and put on Planet Earth. Contractions moved to four minutes apart. At this point, time stopped moving in hours, but in contractions. Each contraction was a little harder, felt a little more painful, and I began to moan out loud. The space in between I could only think about the relief, yet dreaded the next. For a time I could watch the show, but soon didn't care. Danelle had me stand to see if that helped. It didn't. I sat back down, was offered the birthing ball, but could only moan "noooo". I decided to lie in bed again, and this time Danelle helped me throw up.
Finally I decided it was time to head to the hospital, though I dreaded the trip. Danelle called a car to come in a half hour or so, but the driver had to wait another 30 minutes while Jason and Danelle loaded everything (suitcase, backpack, car seat, birthing ball, and Danelle's doula bag) into the car, though one of them always stayed by my side. It took probably ten minutes to make my way down the three flights of stairs and outside to the car.
Amazingly the car ride was fairly fast, again because time was in contractions, not in real minutes. It was an older driver, who didn't seem to mind my increasingly loud moans. He pulled up to NYU Medical Center's emergency room and was very patient as Jason and Danelle unloaded everything while putting me in a wheelchair.
We were led by security to a special elevator that whisked us straight up to labour and delivery. Unfortunately, two very inconsiderate nurses hitched a ride and laughed and said "you have another eight hours of this, at least!" Had I any ability to speak or move, they would've had an earful or a couple nice shiners.
It was just after 1AM. They quickly led me to a triage room, changed into a gown, strapped on a fetal monitor and one for my contractions, though I was moving so much that they couldn't get a good read, and I yelled "my baby's fine!", because I didn't want to be stuck in one place. Jason had to go admit me, so Danelle took over. It was probably around then that my moans turned to yells, and not much longer until I was literally screaming at the top of my lungs. Jason returned and they checked my cervix; I was 5cm dilated and at -1 station. I didn't even feel the pain of the IV and when the nurse first attempted to put on my ID band, I whipped my hand away to grab Jason's.
Apparently at one point I said I didn't want an epidural, but still the anesthesiologist was sent in. She asked if I had changed my mind. In the intense pain, all I could do was look at Jason, because I nearly cried out "yes!" but knew in my head that's not what I wanted (I don't think they could've put the needle in my spine between contractions anyhow, they were so close and I couldn't sit still). Jason explained to her, seeing my eyes, that I didn't want to risk a spinal headache, as I'd had one in the past and deal with chronic headaches. She still tried to get me to sign the waiver in case I changed my mind or needed an emergency c-section, to which Jason said "well, if it comes to that, can't we sign it then?" She left.
My doctor showed up and told us it was time to move to the delivery room. I don't know how long it took, but every several steps I had to stop, lean against Jason, and scream at the top of my lungs. I felt bad for anyone else delivering or coming in, but also didn't care.
I fell onto the bed. The doctor checked me and I was at 9cm. I now wanted to push but he told me not to, as I had to get to 10cm and pushing now would swell my cervix and make it harder. So each contraction I grabbed a hand from each of my supporters and squeezed and screamed. I even ripped off my gown because I was too hot and honestly didn't care anymore about anything other than making the pain end.
Finally, he told me to start pushing, somewhere around 4AM. I was to stop screaming and put all my energy, which was quickly fading, into it. It took me a few times to figure out how to do it; three sets of ten within a contraction, which moved up to four sets. I glanced at the clock to see 4:15AM and figured I would have my baby by 4:30AM.
Unfortunately, it didn't quite happen. The doctor kept telling me to push, sounding more like a personal trainer, that I had to work harder. I yelled at him a few times, "I can't!" and probably would've kicked him had I had energy.
The baby's heart rate was decreasing with the contractions, so I was given oxygen, but had to rip the mask off with each one as I sucked in so hard I felt more suffocated. The room was filling up with nurses and doctors and med students, and I was told a pediatrician was being brought in to make sure the baby was OK.
The doctor continued to coach me, saying it would take only one or two more pushes and be out. He had Jason look at the top of the head, which was sitting right there. Danelle asked me if I wanted a mirror, but again, I just didn't care at all. The doctor said it had hair, which shocked me,. He said dark hair, to which Jason quipped "that's it, it's not mine!"
Later Jason said the head had been sitting there for quite a while, and finally the doctor said he was going to have to intervene. My first thought was c-section, so I said "no!" But it was the vacuum he wanted to use. I did another few hard pushes. My water broke, which seemed to splash across the room. It still didn't work, so the doctor put on his scrubs and gear, the table was folded up so my butt was by the edge, and he applied the vacuum.
I screamed at him that he was hurting me and he said "it's not me, it's the baby." But my skin was hurting and he quickly numbed it up.
All of a sudden, with the next push, the head was out. I saw Jason's excited eyes get big as the head popped out. One more push and the body was out. It happened so fast and there was immediate relief. It was a boy! But they took him to a table off to the side of the room to check him out. Jason's face was covered with an expression I'd never seen before, just complete elation, and I couldn't stop saying "oh my gosh, it's my baby! I have a baby! There's my baby!"
There was a bit more pain as I birthed the placenta. He plopped it into a container and I asked to see it. Gross but cool. The he had to stitch up my second degree tear as a med student watched.
Still, I couldn't stop staring at my baby. I asked Jason if he still liked "Max", and he said yes. I had Jason go look at him but he seemed wary with the doctors and nurses there and didn't want to leave my side. It took maybe ten minutes or so while they fixed and cleaned me up, and tended to my Max. Finally, Jason got to be the first to hold him and when I was ready, the tiny little life was put in my arms.
My baby's born. Max Ronald Powers.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Lately
I guess it's been a while since I've posted, sorry to my two or three loyal readers. :)
Here are the highlights of the last month or so:
- We had a visit to the hospital about four weeks ago. Slight bleeding and lots of cramps and the doctor suggested I go get checked out. I knew it would only be a day thing, and sure enough nothing was happening... until they gave me a couple liters of fluids (via IV, which annoyed me because it took them 4 pokes and the nurse calling an anesthesiologist to do it when I could have simply DRUNK the water!) and suddenly I started having regular contractions. They briefly thought I was in labour, but nothing was happening so they sent me home, of course. But then, thanks to lying in one position for 5 hours and not being able to move due to the fetal monitors, I had a lovely 4-day migraine and missed half of my last week of work. I also missed our second childbirth class, which really sucked, but I have an amazing husband who went on his own for the tours, endured an hour of breastfeeding education, and learned to bathe and change a baby. Brave, amazing man - I am so blessed!
- December 19th was my last day of work. I was sad to leave some of the people, but it was getting hard to get myself to work and run around all day, and obviously I'm just excited to become a stay-at-home mom. For now I spend my days watching too much TV, organizing the house, finishing up thank-you cards, etc.
- The two weeks of Christmas and New Years Jason was home. It was awesome, though we didn't do a ton of stuff, mainly just hung out. Christmas day we opened gifts, Dave came over and the guys cooked dinner while I napped, we watched the Yule Log, and we went and saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with our friends Julie, Chris, and Kory in a too crowded theatre, but it was great, and we went out for drinks and appetizers after. New Year's Eve we just stayed home, since I was once again miserable with a headache. We also got the nursery set up, and love it! We also had Dave, a professional photographer, over to take photos. Here's the first one, though it is unfinished:
- Jason's mom had a shower for us in California, and set us a box with all the gifts. Very sweet of her!
- My mom had a "virtual shower" for us, where I Skyped with friends and family back home in Seattle. It was awesome to get to talk to everyone and open gifts for them here.
- My cramps are getting much worse now, and as of tonight I'm getting more Braxton Hicks contractions and pains in my nethers. But that doesn't necessarily mean a whole lot. I'm 38.5 weeks, which means full-term, due in 1.5 weeks, wow! Praying for a slightly earlier baby, but we'll see!
Here are the highlights of the last month or so:
- We had a visit to the hospital about four weeks ago. Slight bleeding and lots of cramps and the doctor suggested I go get checked out. I knew it would only be a day thing, and sure enough nothing was happening... until they gave me a couple liters of fluids (via IV, which annoyed me because it took them 4 pokes and the nurse calling an anesthesiologist to do it when I could have simply DRUNK the water!) and suddenly I started having regular contractions. They briefly thought I was in labour, but nothing was happening so they sent me home, of course. But then, thanks to lying in one position for 5 hours and not being able to move due to the fetal monitors, I had a lovely 4-day migraine and missed half of my last week of work. I also missed our second childbirth class, which really sucked, but I have an amazing husband who went on his own for the tours, endured an hour of breastfeeding education, and learned to bathe and change a baby. Brave, amazing man - I am so blessed!
- December 19th was my last day of work. I was sad to leave some of the people, but it was getting hard to get myself to work and run around all day, and obviously I'm just excited to become a stay-at-home mom. For now I spend my days watching too much TV, organizing the house, finishing up thank-you cards, etc.
- The two weeks of Christmas and New Years Jason was home. It was awesome, though we didn't do a ton of stuff, mainly just hung out. Christmas day we opened gifts, Dave came over and the guys cooked dinner while I napped, we watched the Yule Log, and we went and saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with our friends Julie, Chris, and Kory in a too crowded theatre, but it was great, and we went out for drinks and appetizers after. New Year's Eve we just stayed home, since I was once again miserable with a headache. We also got the nursery set up, and love it! We also had Dave, a professional photographer, over to take photos. Here's the first one, though it is unfinished:
- Jason's mom had a shower for us in California, and set us a box with all the gifts. Very sweet of her!
- My mom had a "virtual shower" for us, where I Skyped with friends and family back home in Seattle. It was awesome to get to talk to everyone and open gifts for them here.
- My cramps are getting much worse now, and as of tonight I'm getting more Braxton Hicks contractions and pains in my nethers. But that doesn't necessarily mean a whole lot. I'm 38.5 weeks, which means full-term, due in 1.5 weeks, wow! Praying for a slightly earlier baby, but we'll see!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Learnin' stuff
Saturday we had our first childbirth class, one of the two intensive classes going all day for two Saturdays in a row. Ahead of time I was entirely dreading it. For some reason I built it up as if there would be only hard, uncomfortable chairs, a Nurse Ratched-type teaching the class (the type totally entrenched in the hospital system who was all about drugs and doing birth just one way), with a lot of hormonal pregnant women who would ask dumb question after dumb question, when the rest of us just wanted to go home.
Turns out I was only right about the chairs.
The teacher actually used to teach Art History, and anyone who knows about the stereotypical art teacher will know what this woman was like: she told us if we needed to take naps, it was OK to lie down, just make sure our partners were listening, and she encouraged us to put our feet up, so that, by the end, every spare chair was being used for a pregnant woman's feet. And it turned out I was the one asking all the questions, at least until I had others comfortable enough to ask, but I seemed slightly more educated, having read and watched a lot of videos about childbirth. In fact I was slightly shocked at how little some of the women had educated themselves, but perhaps they were waiting for the class.
I was very happy that Jason got to finally see and learn a lot firsthand, and, more importantly, that he was attentive and seemed excited to actually be learning so much! I have no doubt that he's going to be so amazing in childbirth. He listens well and he understands that I'm going to be emotional and crazy during labor and for the following couple of weeks. The teacher said that the two weeks following birth are the most hormonal of a woman's life, like the worst period ever. To which one of the husbands asked if there was some kind of pill that could be given to his wife to make it better, haha! (The answer is no.)
The one thing that surprised me slightly was that out of the 9 couples, 3 were dead set on getting epidurals, 5 were going to "wait and see" if the pain was too bad to take, and then decide, and I was the only one who is dead set against NOT taking anything. The teacher said that's statistically pretty accurate, as to how it breaks down. She also said that unless you have a delivery that isn't too painful at all, as a few lucky women have, you will probably opt for one unless you are determined, as I am, to not have one. Because obviously it's going to hurt like hell, and you just have to expect it. The scariest thing for me is that we watched a birth (which I think is cool), but she pointed out that the pushing and the baby actually coming out is not the most painful part, it's the part just before when everything internal is stretching. So if it looks that bad from the outside, I can only imagine what's going on on the inside! Ack! But still, I'm absolutely determined, and will only receive any drugs at all (pain relief or Pitocin) if completely medically necessary.
Well, I could go on and on, but that's it for now. This Saturday, after having already learned what a normal end-of-pregnancy, labor and delivery is like, we'll learn what complications may arise, about c-sections, newborn care, and we'll take a tour of the maternity ward (and nursery!), which I'm most excited about.
Turns out I was only right about the chairs.
The teacher actually used to teach Art History, and anyone who knows about the stereotypical art teacher will know what this woman was like: she told us if we needed to take naps, it was OK to lie down, just make sure our partners were listening, and she encouraged us to put our feet up, so that, by the end, every spare chair was being used for a pregnant woman's feet. And it turned out I was the one asking all the questions, at least until I had others comfortable enough to ask, but I seemed slightly more educated, having read and watched a lot of videos about childbirth. In fact I was slightly shocked at how little some of the women had educated themselves, but perhaps they were waiting for the class.
I was very happy that Jason got to finally see and learn a lot firsthand, and, more importantly, that he was attentive and seemed excited to actually be learning so much! I have no doubt that he's going to be so amazing in childbirth. He listens well and he understands that I'm going to be emotional and crazy during labor and for the following couple of weeks. The teacher said that the two weeks following birth are the most hormonal of a woman's life, like the worst period ever. To which one of the husbands asked if there was some kind of pill that could be given to his wife to make it better, haha! (The answer is no.)
The one thing that surprised me slightly was that out of the 9 couples, 3 were dead set on getting epidurals, 5 were going to "wait and see" if the pain was too bad to take, and then decide, and I was the only one who is dead set against NOT taking anything. The teacher said that's statistically pretty accurate, as to how it breaks down. She also said that unless you have a delivery that isn't too painful at all, as a few lucky women have, you will probably opt for one unless you are determined, as I am, to not have one. Because obviously it's going to hurt like hell, and you just have to expect it. The scariest thing for me is that we watched a birth (which I think is cool), but she pointed out that the pushing and the baby actually coming out is not the most painful part, it's the part just before when everything internal is stretching. So if it looks that bad from the outside, I can only imagine what's going on on the inside! Ack! But still, I'm absolutely determined, and will only receive any drugs at all (pain relief or Pitocin) if completely medically necessary.
Well, I could go on and on, but that's it for now. This Saturday, after having already learned what a normal end-of-pregnancy, labor and delivery is like, we'll learn what complications may arise, about c-sections, newborn care, and we'll take a tour of the maternity ward (and nursery!), which I'm most excited about.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Stretchy stretchy!
So last night I'm stretched out in bed with my laptop, wearing my $3 "I (heart) NY" t-shirt that no longer covers my belly by any means, when Jason walks in and goes "what are those red lines?" I can't see what he's talking about until I use a DVD as a mirror to look down under my belly. At first I think (and hope) that they're just marks from my sweats (yeah, I'm totally attractive in the evenings these days!) but after 20 minutes or so they're not going away. And again this morning, there they are! So I guess despite putting on Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter every day, while it feels good, doesn't really do a whole lot to eliminate stretch marks. Honestly, I'm surprised it took this long for them to show up, what with my crazy pale skin, and they could look a lot worse, but still... dang it!
Turkey Day and Crib Warming Party
This weekend was lovely. For Thanksgiving we had a total of 7 people who came and brought some amazing food. I had to take several small plates and eat them very very slowly, and noticed even after the first that the things left on my plate were all store-bought. The home-made food was just too amazing! Jason did a great job with the bird for a first-timer, after calling his mom the night before and getting some advice. And we were able to do it without a thermometer or turkey baster, just propped the turkey up on some ramekins, spooned the melted butter and seasoning on it every 20 minutes, and it turned out pretty beautiful! Afterward we all hung out, played Outburst, and around 9:30 everyone left, at which point I crashed and burned into bed!
After spending pretty much all day Friday recovering, we got ready for the housewarming/baby shower on Saturday that our dear friends and leaders of our church community group hosted (at our place). It was lovely; we're not a very rowdy crowd to begin with but I think any event with "baby" in the title on the invitation is going to be pretty chill, even with the 22 people or so that attended. It was a pretty even mix of guys and girls, drinking some wine, beer, and myself some Martinelli's sparkling cider, and several people brought over amazing appetizers and baked goods. We got some good loot for Baby Powpow, including a baby monitor, the baby gym, blankets, and the letters to spell out "Powpow" painted by our friend Monica. No cheesy shower games, which was fine, and again around 9:30 or so everyone took off, at which point I once again crashed and burned. Fortunately we were compelled to go to church on Sunday so we could donate to His Toy Store, which may not have happened considering the freezing rain, the long walk (probably about a mile and a half total) and train construction (3 trains), but we're glad we went. And even gladder that we got a ride home with Kieran, who took most of the photos at our shower:
(That last photo is of me and my doula, Danelle. As usual, more photos on our Flickr site.)
After spending pretty much all day Friday recovering, we got ready for the housewarming/baby shower on Saturday that our dear friends and leaders of our church community group hosted (at our place). It was lovely; we're not a very rowdy crowd to begin with but I think any event with "baby" in the title on the invitation is going to be pretty chill, even with the 22 people or so that attended. It was a pretty even mix of guys and girls, drinking some wine, beer, and myself some Martinelli's sparkling cider, and several people brought over amazing appetizers and baked goods. We got some good loot for Baby Powpow, including a baby monitor, the baby gym, blankets, and the letters to spell out "Powpow" painted by our friend Monica. No cheesy shower games, which was fine, and again around 9:30 or so everyone took off, at which point I once again crashed and burned. Fortunately we were compelled to go to church on Sunday so we could donate to His Toy Store, which may not have happened considering the freezing rain, the long walk (probably about a mile and a half total) and train construction (3 trains), but we're glad we went. And even gladder that we got a ride home with Kieran, who took most of the photos at our shower:
(That last photo is of me and my doula, Danelle. As usual, more photos on our Flickr site.)
Monday, November 24, 2008
Slowing down... sort of
I know it's been a while since I posted. I think I'm slowing down in pretty much every way. Ironically I spend all day long staring a my computer screen, often looking for things to do. I have been getting caught up in various projects, though, doing a lot of research on baby, and a little bit of shopping. Since this post could get pretty boring pretty fast, here's a briefing (although, you know that I'm not exactly brief once I get going - I bolded the topics of each section) of what's been going on with us lately:
- Finally finished our registries at Target and Babies"R"Us. I think I probably removed and added several hundred things, literally, over the course of the two months or so since that frightful day we began registering in-store a couple months ago. Had to get it done because...
- Saturday our awesome church community group leaders, Tom and Angie, are going to throw us a housewarming party/baby shower! We decided to do something co-ed since we wanted to have both anyhow, so the women can hang out and ooh and ahh over any gifts that are given and the guys can sit back and have a beer or glass of wine and talk about guy stuff. Most of them are graphic designers so they'll probably talk about designy things. They're not exactly the football and car lovin' kind of guys, which I don't mind - makes life easier for me! This was also the last weekend we could have it until January, at which point baby may be in the picture. We initially thought not many people could come because they'd all be out of town, but realized that those that are in town are going to be starved for friends and family, so as of now we've got about 20 who say they're coming, with more stragglers, I'm sure.
- Aside from the one here in New York, our moms are doing some creative showering for us. Jason's mom is having their church home group over to ooh and ahh over gifts and then wrap them up and send to us to open. And after the holidays when we'll both have cameras on our computers, my mom is having a virtual shower for us. She'll be mailing us gifts ahead of time, have my friends and family over there, and we'll be able to open our gifts online with everyone watching! This Thanksgiving I'm thankful for creative, incredibly thoughtful and giving moms and friends who are making us feel surrounded by love, even from afar!
- Thanksgiving will also be a day surrounded by friends for us. We're having four people over, though I can see a few being added to that number. Thankfully we're in a place with a decent sized living room at this point, and we have a table now! I think we'll have enough food to feed at least a dozen, and though I eat a lot nowadays, I get full very quickly with my diminished (thanks to baby growing into it, and often giving it a lovely kick) stomach size. Ironically this may be our last Thanksgiving in the city for a while, and it's sad that we can't go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, but with my also shrinking bladder (which was too small to begin with) and the fact that I can't be on my feet for more than 30 minutes or so - an hour at the most, at which point I tend to be in much pain - I think the parade would be one of the more miserable holiday options this year. However, it's a possibility I might be into seeing the balloons inflated the night before, if there's a place for me to sit and watch and perhaps a good restaurant nearby - the Upper West Side has a few good hole-in-the-walls.
- Oh, and as far as my pregnancy goes? I have no more placenta previa (yay!) and as of a November 14th when I went in for my final ultrasound, the baby was 3 lbs, 11 oz. With gaining 1/2 lb. a week until the birth, we're looking at an 8-9 lb kid! I'm a bit freaked out by that, but the doctor pointed out that I'm not a small person so my baby's not going to be too small, either. Dangit. We were also hoping for a last, really good 3D ultrasound. Unfortunately baby had it's hand up by it's face, and it's face pressed against the placenta, the stubborn little sucker. I don't think she was that good of an ultrasound tech, though, because she only got two semi-profile shots and they weren't that good - not even worth posting here, honestly, because some of the earlier ones were much better. I'm also getting much more sore and tired much more easily. Back and hips these days? Not feeling so good. Sleep? I go to bed hoping for 11-12 hours and end up getting maybe 7 or 8, since generally there's a period or two where I lie awake for an hour or 2, too tired to get up but too awake to sleep. But, now that I've told them, I can finally make public that...
- I've got less than four weeks of being in the workforce, indefinitely! I've wanted for so long to be a stay-at-home-mom, and now my dream's about to come true! I had to tell my boss a couple weeks ago when they were figuring out Christmas week vacations, because December 19th is my last day. Jason gets almost all of Christmas and New Years weeks off, other than possibly having to work Friday, January 2nd, though that may not even happen. It will probably be the last 2 weeks of our foreseeable futures that we get to spend entirely alone, or at least with no worries about how kids are doing back home or with grandma and grandpa. Dave will be moving out next Monday and so we'll probably spend some time getting baby's room ready. Which reminds me (last thing, I promise)...
- We're finally making some headway into buying baby gear. We bought our stroller on eBay for over $100 less than at Babies"R"Us - brand new and it literally came overnight. We had to go with a Maclaren because everyone says it is THE brand to own in NYC (light and thin and easier to carry than most all the other ones, and, like I've said, we live on the 3rd floor and have a good 3-story walk up to the subway at our stop), and this is the only of the brand that works from birth on up. We've bought bedding and I have purchased a few swaddlers and clothing items, just in case baby comes early. Jason's family is also graciously gifting baby with it's crib and mattress. Super thankful for that, and for little things my mom has sent along the way. Baby will be so loved!
- Finally finished our registries at Target and Babies"R"Us. I think I probably removed and added several hundred things, literally, over the course of the two months or so since that frightful day we began registering in-store a couple months ago. Had to get it done because...
- Saturday our awesome church community group leaders, Tom and Angie, are going to throw us a housewarming party/baby shower! We decided to do something co-ed since we wanted to have both anyhow, so the women can hang out and ooh and ahh over any gifts that are given and the guys can sit back and have a beer or glass of wine and talk about guy stuff. Most of them are graphic designers so they'll probably talk about designy things. They're not exactly the football and car lovin' kind of guys, which I don't mind - makes life easier for me! This was also the last weekend we could have it until January, at which point baby may be in the picture. We initially thought not many people could come because they'd all be out of town, but realized that those that are in town are going to be starved for friends and family, so as of now we've got about 20 who say they're coming, with more stragglers, I'm sure.
- Aside from the one here in New York, our moms are doing some creative showering for us. Jason's mom is having their church home group over to ooh and ahh over gifts and then wrap them up and send to us to open. And after the holidays when we'll both have cameras on our computers, my mom is having a virtual shower for us. She'll be mailing us gifts ahead of time, have my friends and family over there, and we'll be able to open our gifts online with everyone watching! This Thanksgiving I'm thankful for creative, incredibly thoughtful and giving moms and friends who are making us feel surrounded by love, even from afar!
- Thanksgiving will also be a day surrounded by friends for us. We're having four people over, though I can see a few being added to that number. Thankfully we're in a place with a decent sized living room at this point, and we have a table now! I think we'll have enough food to feed at least a dozen, and though I eat a lot nowadays, I get full very quickly with my diminished (thanks to baby growing into it, and often giving it a lovely kick) stomach size. Ironically this may be our last Thanksgiving in the city for a while, and it's sad that we can't go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, but with my also shrinking bladder (which was too small to begin with) and the fact that I can't be on my feet for more than 30 minutes or so - an hour at the most, at which point I tend to be in much pain - I think the parade would be one of the more miserable holiday options this year. However, it's a possibility I might be into seeing the balloons inflated the night before, if there's a place for me to sit and watch and perhaps a good restaurant nearby - the Upper West Side has a few good hole-in-the-walls.
- Oh, and as far as my pregnancy goes? I have no more placenta previa (yay!) and as of a November 14th when I went in for my final ultrasound, the baby was 3 lbs, 11 oz. With gaining 1/2 lb. a week until the birth, we're looking at an 8-9 lb kid! I'm a bit freaked out by that, but the doctor pointed out that I'm not a small person so my baby's not going to be too small, either. Dangit. We were also hoping for a last, really good 3D ultrasound. Unfortunately baby had it's hand up by it's face, and it's face pressed against the placenta, the stubborn little sucker. I don't think she was that good of an ultrasound tech, though, because she only got two semi-profile shots and they weren't that good - not even worth posting here, honestly, because some of the earlier ones were much better. I'm also getting much more sore and tired much more easily. Back and hips these days? Not feeling so good. Sleep? I go to bed hoping for 11-12 hours and end up getting maybe 7 or 8, since generally there's a period or two where I lie awake for an hour or 2, too tired to get up but too awake to sleep. But, now that I've told them, I can finally make public that...
- I've got less than four weeks of being in the workforce, indefinitely! I've wanted for so long to be a stay-at-home-mom, and now my dream's about to come true! I had to tell my boss a couple weeks ago when they were figuring out Christmas week vacations, because December 19th is my last day. Jason gets almost all of Christmas and New Years weeks off, other than possibly having to work Friday, January 2nd, though that may not even happen. It will probably be the last 2 weeks of our foreseeable futures that we get to spend entirely alone, or at least with no worries about how kids are doing back home or with grandma and grandpa. Dave will be moving out next Monday and so we'll probably spend some time getting baby's room ready. Which reminds me (last thing, I promise)...
- We're finally making some headway into buying baby gear. We bought our stroller on eBay for over $100 less than at Babies"R"Us - brand new and it literally came overnight. We had to go with a Maclaren because everyone says it is THE brand to own in NYC (light and thin and easier to carry than most all the other ones, and, like I've said, we live on the 3rd floor and have a good 3-story walk up to the subway at our stop), and this is the only of the brand that works from birth on up. We've bought bedding and I have purchased a few swaddlers and clothing items, just in case baby comes early. Jason's family is also graciously gifting baby with it's crib and mattress. Super thankful for that, and for little things my mom has sent along the way. Baby will be so loved!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Things are coming together
This weekend we finally met with the doula I'd been hoping to hire. Her name is Danelle Brown and I'm so excited to have chosen her! She's a designer, specializing in green living, but has recently become certified with DONA. She seems very knowledgeable and will be a warrior (self-described, before I even told her that was something I really desired!) in the hospital for me when anyone tries to come at me with any drugs or convince me that something is "for the good of the baby" when, in actuality, it's better for the hospital and staff. She did actually read up on NYU and found that they have pretty good (meaning less) c-section rates. Jason feels comfortable with her, as well, which is just as vital, since I want him to be as much a part of this as can be (meaning he'll be feeling the pain... as I throw angry words and anything within reach at him! No, hopefully Danelle can help keep me under control and play defense if need be:)). Another great thing is she lives only about eight blocks away from us (how crazy is that in a city this big?!) and will be bringing by books and DVDs (including Orgasmic Birth, crazy name, I know, but I've been wanting to see it), and she can get to me fast when I actually go into labour (or, should I say, when contractions get to be around eight minutes apart - the first part of labour can go a loooong time and we all agree it would be really great just to have the two of us, Jason and I, for the first part). She will try to bring a back-up for our next meeting this weekend, just in case, and we'll be putting together our birth plan and knocking out more logistics, etc.
I've decided I'm pretty much done with my registries at Target and Babies"R"Us. There's probably more that can be done, but I'll just be fine-tuning things from here on out.
I've been feeling a little down because I don't know if I'll be having a baby shower. Self-pity is so unflattering, but being pregnant, I'm feeling like the center of the world these days (as most pregnant women can attest to feeling). Some of the people in our church community group may throw one for us, but time is quickly running out with the holidays at hand, so Jason and I may just have a house-warming/crib-warming party in the coming weeks. As of right now we have 3 things for baby: a bed set, a diaper bag my friend Mae sent and a pair of booties my mom sent. So if baby comes today we can wrap it in the bed set, put booties on its feet, and carry it home in the diaper bag. :) I did notice Babies"R"Us is having a sale tomorrow, so hopefully I can knock some stuff off the list. We're also praying that Dave finds a new apartment soon so that we don't have to kick him out (he's working crazy long hours for overtime and I know he doesn't want to burden and will probably be out before we even ask, such a sweet man!) and can get the baby's room ready during Christmas week.
One bright spot is that my best girlfriend Kelsye may make it out in February!!! I don't know when any of the moms will be able to come, which breaks my heart a bit (but they've all got so much going on in their lives and very valid reasons for not being able to make it right away). But to have Kelsye make it would be so beautiful. She'll get to be one of the first of people we've known for more than two-and-a-half years to see our little lanky, pasty white babe.
I've decided I'm pretty much done with my registries at Target and Babies"R"Us. There's probably more that can be done, but I'll just be fine-tuning things from here on out.
I've been feeling a little down because I don't know if I'll be having a baby shower. Self-pity is so unflattering, but being pregnant, I'm feeling like the center of the world these days (as most pregnant women can attest to feeling). Some of the people in our church community group may throw one for us, but time is quickly running out with the holidays at hand, so Jason and I may just have a house-warming/crib-warming party in the coming weeks. As of right now we have 3 things for baby: a bed set, a diaper bag my friend Mae sent and a pair of booties my mom sent. So if baby comes today we can wrap it in the bed set, put booties on its feet, and carry it home in the diaper bag. :) I did notice Babies"R"Us is having a sale tomorrow, so hopefully I can knock some stuff off the list. We're also praying that Dave finds a new apartment soon so that we don't have to kick him out (he's working crazy long hours for overtime and I know he doesn't want to burden and will probably be out before we even ask, such a sweet man!) and can get the baby's room ready during Christmas week.
One bright spot is that my best girlfriend Kelsye may make it out in February!!! I don't know when any of the moms will be able to come, which breaks my heart a bit (but they've all got so much going on in their lives and very valid reasons for not being able to make it right away). But to have Kelsye make it would be so beautiful. She'll get to be one of the first of people we've known for more than two-and-a-half years to see our little lanky, pasty white babe.
Neil's the Man!
My best girlfriend Kelsye knows I love Neil Diamond. Lord knows how I tortured her on my 16th birthday when she spent the night, I put his admittedly bad remake of Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen on repeat, and went off to get ready for the day, leaving her with the song for, I don't know, a good hour. Of all the things I've done to her, that may be one of the few she'll never forgive me for! So now it's become sort of a thing that she teases me about, but I know she finds it endearing. This weekend I received for my birthday from her an original Japanese poster from Neil's only starring role in a movie, The Jazz Singer. Probably one of the most creative birthday gifts ever!
So now we've decided to start up a "rock and roll" kitchen again, like we had when living in Seattle. That one was plastered with posters, particularly since Jason worked at Tooth and Nail and we had easy access to all we wanted. This one will be more upscale. I'm off to buy a poster frame right now!
So now we've decided to start up a "rock and roll" kitchen again, like we had when living in Seattle. That one was plastered with posters, particularly since Jason worked at Tooth and Nail and we had easy access to all we wanted. This one will be more upscale. I'm off to buy a poster frame right now!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Knock-knock!
My new favorite thing to do at the end of a long, stressful day, is to lay half on my back with my shirt pulled up and my feet up on the ottoman and play knock-knock with Baby P. In the last week he (I mainly say "he" just because it's easier and I still have a strong feeling, as do most of my friends, that it's a boy) has been very, very active. After last week's doctor visit (I'm up to seeing him every two weeks now!) and getting the quick ultrasound, I know that the head is down and angled towards my right side and he's got his legs crossed so his feet are up by my ribs/stomach these days. That means I can poke him around where his knees or feet are, or his head (although I feel like I'm pushing in his face), and get a reaction. I can almost hear a whiny voice saying "Mooooom, stop poking me!". The weirdest thing is when I my whole belly shifts as he rolls over, or does something to that effect. And this morning when I woke up my belly was noticeably bulging on the right side over the left. He's definitely found my ribs so I do my best to shake my belly around and get him to shift, but generally it doesn't work but get him more active, kicking up a storm. I find it mostly amusing, though. He also gets hiccups which is funny. In fact, I think he's got some right now... or else he's responding to the peanut butter and chocolate ice cream I just ate.
And apparently I'm looking pretty small. I'd much prefer that over looking as though I'm ready to pop! I'm just at six-and-a-half months and some people can't believe that. The big boss of our company, on leaving last night, commented that I must be eating healthy because I look really good (I myself was expecting to blow up like a balloon or at least get a fat face, which hasn't happened yet, thanks be to God!). I started laughing at that; everyone else that walks by and sees my eating habits knows what a joke that is!
And apparently I'm looking pretty small. I'd much prefer that over looking as though I'm ready to pop! I'm just at six-and-a-half months and some people can't believe that. The big boss of our company, on leaving last night, commented that I must be eating healthy because I look really good (I myself was expecting to blow up like a balloon or at least get a fat face, which hasn't happened yet, thanks be to God!). I started laughing at that; everyone else that walks by and sees my eating habits knows what a joke that is!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Fall festivities!
Last weekend was Halloween and my birthday. Two parties in one weekend - unheard of these days for me! (And, for more photos of the event, including some of the Apostles Church women's retreat in the Poconos, click here.)
Friday night for Halloween we took the train with our friend Julie , whose husband Chris is out with his band on tour for a month, down to Bushwick in Brooklyn for a party with several of our church peeps. Julie was up for two nights working on her peacock costume, and I finally decided to go as a pregnant cat (painted the nipples and sewed them onto the top and painted the mask myself), while Jason went as the cat burgler who burgled me... get it? We had a great time (gooood food) and the costumes were a hit! I made it almost to 11:30PM before we called a car back to Astoria, and was wiped the following morning.
On my birthday Jason took me to an awesome brunch at what will likely become one of our constant haunts in Astoria, Sparrow, before I went and watched some of my shows I'd needed to catch up on and then crashed until it was time to head out. He'd managed to keep it a secret, though I was pretty sure he'd take me out to have tapas (my favorite food!) and sure enough, he took me to Pipa in the Flatiron district, where we met up with some friends.
I hadn't been expecting anything from Jason, as we're finally getting iPhones next week (our contract with Verizon is about to expire and our old phones are hanging by a thread, as is). Marilyn, an amazing artist whose been showing quite a bit around town and whose work I'd been wanting to purchase for a while, brought with her a large painting and mentioned she had a show up the street. "Oh, so you're taking that over tonight" I said, knowing that she wouldn't couldn't possibly gift me with such a large piece (and she'd already given me a couple awesome books). After running to the bathroom Jason was standing up saying "happy birthday!". I looked at him quite confused as he pointed across the table (I wasn't wearing my glasses so it was hard to see) and finally after much explanation (I'm a bit of an airhead these days!) I learned the piece that had been unveiled was his big gift to me! (FYI I wanted to steal a shot of it from Marilyn's website, but if you visit it here you can see it's the 2nd one down on the "Painting" page, titled "Field", and now hangs quite happily in our bedroom, on the wall I didn't know what to do with!
So far 30 is great. I had been anxious to get out of my 20s - the first many years of it were full of immaturity and uncertainty and I look back on with embarassment. The last few were when I'd met the love of my life (going on 5 years ago - we met when I was 25 and now I'm 30!) and married the man, and have held many struggles and pains (particularly physical on my part). Now we start a family together and I'm so anxious to see what the next decade brings!
Friday night for Halloween we took the train with our friend Julie , whose husband Chris is out with his band on tour for a month, down to Bushwick in Brooklyn for a party with several of our church peeps. Julie was up for two nights working on her peacock costume, and I finally decided to go as a pregnant cat (painted the nipples and sewed them onto the top and painted the mask myself), while Jason went as the cat burgler who burgled me... get it? We had a great time (gooood food) and the costumes were a hit! I made it almost to 11:30PM before we called a car back to Astoria, and was wiped the following morning.
On my birthday Jason took me to an awesome brunch at what will likely become one of our constant haunts in Astoria, Sparrow, before I went and watched some of my shows I'd needed to catch up on and then crashed until it was time to head out. He'd managed to keep it a secret, though I was pretty sure he'd take me out to have tapas (my favorite food!) and sure enough, he took me to Pipa in the Flatiron district, where we met up with some friends.
I hadn't been expecting anything from Jason, as we're finally getting iPhones next week (our contract with Verizon is about to expire and our old phones are hanging by a thread, as is). Marilyn, an amazing artist whose been showing quite a bit around town and whose work I'd been wanting to purchase for a while, brought with her a large painting and mentioned she had a show up the street. "Oh, so you're taking that over tonight" I said, knowing that she wouldn't couldn't possibly gift me with such a large piece (and she'd already given me a couple awesome books). After running to the bathroom Jason was standing up saying "happy birthday!". I looked at him quite confused as he pointed across the table (I wasn't wearing my glasses so it was hard to see) and finally after much explanation (I'm a bit of an airhead these days!) I learned the piece that had been unveiled was his big gift to me! (FYI I wanted to steal a shot of it from Marilyn's website, but if you visit it here you can see it's the 2nd one down on the "Painting" page, titled "Field", and now hangs quite happily in our bedroom, on the wall I didn't know what to do with!
So far 30 is great. I had been anxious to get out of my 20s - the first many years of it were full of immaturity and uncertainty and I look back on with embarassment. The last few were when I'd met the love of my life (going on 5 years ago - we met when I was 25 and now I'm 30!) and married the man, and have held many struggles and pains (particularly physical on my part). Now we start a family together and I'm so anxious to see what the next decade brings!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
This crazy birthing business!
Wow, it's been 2 weeks since I posted! They've been busy ones. Dave moved in. Jack came to visit. I went on a women's retreat with church in the Poconos and had an awesome time (and meant to post the photos, but haven't yet taken them off the camera). Evenings out with friends. Exhausted. I'm back to needing 10-11 hours of sleep a night and am quite cranky if I don't get them.
I did find out that I passed my glucose test with flying colors, and my weight gain, while up the 2nd trimester, has evened out - so I figure that means I can eat anything as much as want with no repercussions? :) I thought I had found some good knock-off Red Hots at the local candy store. They ended up being WAY overpriced and did NOT taste cinnamony - just like wax and corn syrup with a little cinnamon flavour. Yuck.
So I finally got around to watching The Business of Being Born the other day. Wow. Awesome and scary. Jason was doing bills but ended up turning around to watch most of it and was glad he did - he's glad I'm taking such an interest in the birthing process and now totally understands why I'm so against using medication and having any intervention done unless absolutely medically necessary. I know it will hurt (I mean, duh!), but women have been doing it for a few thousand years, and honestly it scares me more to have them do things to me that aren't needed and to treat me as a number and not a woman whose body knows what to do. The cycle of epidural (pain relief via needle in the spine) -> pitocin (labour-inducing drug) -> more epidurals -> more pitocin -> baby in distress -> c-section occurs way too often for my comfort, and I trust my body more without drugs than if I'm numb from the waist down, trying to push.
So this morning I saw my doctor and had a list of questions I'd printed out from the TBOBB website. I'd already told him I want no drugs and a doula, which he agreed I should have if it helps me through the process. And he doesn't do episiotomies unless absolutely necessary, but he said he honestly can't remember the last time he did one. Whew.
The other questions I had were:
Me: When would you like me to come to the hospital?
Dr: When you've been having contractions consistently at 5 minutes apart or your water breaks, but it will really be up to you and how long you think you might want to wait.
Me: What are your protocols regarding inducing labour?
Dr: Well, if you want to induce labour at any time, we can do that. It just depends on if you get to the point that your baby is just too big or if you're done being pregnant. However, if you want to let nature take its course, that's perfectly fine, too. There are different philosophies and it depends on what you're most comfortable with. I would say about 30-50% of women end up using pitocin; their uterus needs help or their membranes have been ruptured too long. You do have the right not to and I can tell you what risks may be involved.
Me: Am I required to get an IV?
Dr: Unfortunately, yes. Just in case some emergency arises. I've seen it happen too often where someone gets dehydrated or is in such distress it's too difficult to get a line in, so it's much easier to just do it when you come into the hospital. We can put a lock on it, though, so you're not attached to any machines and can move around.
Me: What is your c-section rate? I saw on the NYU website that theirs is 29.9%.
Dr: Mine is about 10-20%. One thing you have to account for is the fact that in a city like this you have a very diverse population including obese patients, those with diabetes, drug users, etc., and so the rate is going to be higher than, say, rural Iowa. And then of course things happen where the baby is in distress, or perhaps a woman's pelvis can only deliver an 8 lb. baby when a baby is 10 lbs [I'm not too worried about this - I think my hips are equipped to handle a larger baby!] I know that there are some doctors who are bias and not looking at medical reasons for doing c-sections. I mean, studies have shown that there are certain peak hours that they take place, like at 6PM on a Friday night, but I definitely wouldn't do that [another fact from TBOBB was that 4PM and 10PM are when the most c-sections occur - just before dinner or when doctors are just tired and want to go home to sleep.]
Me: Will I be able to choose the position in which I give birth?
Dr: (Smiling) I'd be interested in seeing the data supporting different ones. I can tell you the biomedical support for various positions.
Me: I just want to make sure I'm not forced to be flat on my back pushing it out.
Dr: Well, it's a hospital, not a prison!
Me: And just out of curiosity, how many people do you have due around my date of January 19th? [I actually asked this one because I'm curious how crowded the hospital's going to be; I don't know that we can afford a private room, but I don't know how well I'll handle being in a room with another mother and her baby for two nights - but I didn't go into that with the doctor.]
Dr: Well, in a practice like this where we're mostly serving gynecological patients as opposed to obstetric patients [I think those are the terms he used, or something closely related], we tend to have lower numbers of women giving birth. Most months I only have about five or six women due, and even if another woman is in labour the same time as you, you don't have to worry that the baby will drop at the same time - it hasn't happened in my two years here.
Me: OK, I think that's it for now.
Dr: Did I pass?
Me: Yes, you did. :)
So even though I would prefer to have a home water birth with a midwife (our place is just too small, I think), I feel like my doctor is sympathetic to my concerns and needs. He got a tad defensive as I was asking him questions (but I'm sure he's been attacked by hormonal, NYC women before, and that's put him somewhat on edge with lists of questions like this), but he's got a very calming voice and way about him that makes me trust him. The thing that I most appreciated was how much he told me it was my decision on how to proceed. I will be thankful to have a doula there. We can't afford to hire a seasoned one, only a newbie doula (on average in this city it's $500 for one that's been to less than six births, $800-1000 for up to 15-20 births, and then much more than that for one that's been around and seen it all), but I trust that she'll have adequate training and can help me and Jason determine if something truly is medically necessary, or if they're trying to use scare tactics (they know that a woman will most want to protect her child, so the easiest way to get her to comply is by saying "it's for the good of the baby"). And, in the end, it's the law that will allow me to deny any treatment I don't want, so if some nurse comes at me with pitocin and I say "heck no!", she has to legally comply. But again, I will do everything for the good of the baby, and to keep myself as healthy as possible (I already had a staph infection and colonitis this past year, I'm good, thank you very much) - that's what it's all about.
I did find out that I passed my glucose test with flying colors, and my weight gain, while up the 2nd trimester, has evened out - so I figure that means I can eat anything as much as want with no repercussions? :) I thought I had found some good knock-off Red Hots at the local candy store. They ended up being WAY overpriced and did NOT taste cinnamony - just like wax and corn syrup with a little cinnamon flavour. Yuck.
So I finally got around to watching The Business of Being Born the other day. Wow. Awesome and scary. Jason was doing bills but ended up turning around to watch most of it and was glad he did - he's glad I'm taking such an interest in the birthing process and now totally understands why I'm so against using medication and having any intervention done unless absolutely medically necessary. I know it will hurt (I mean, duh!), but women have been doing it for a few thousand years, and honestly it scares me more to have them do things to me that aren't needed and to treat me as a number and not a woman whose body knows what to do. The cycle of epidural (pain relief via needle in the spine) -> pitocin (labour-inducing drug) -> more epidurals -> more pitocin -> baby in distress -> c-section occurs way too often for my comfort, and I trust my body more without drugs than if I'm numb from the waist down, trying to push.
So this morning I saw my doctor and had a list of questions I'd printed out from the TBOBB website. I'd already told him I want no drugs and a doula, which he agreed I should have if it helps me through the process. And he doesn't do episiotomies unless absolutely necessary, but he said he honestly can't remember the last time he did one. Whew.
The other questions I had were:
Me: When would you like me to come to the hospital?
Dr: When you've been having contractions consistently at 5 minutes apart or your water breaks, but it will really be up to you and how long you think you might want to wait.
Me: What are your protocols regarding inducing labour?
Dr: Well, if you want to induce labour at any time, we can do that. It just depends on if you get to the point that your baby is just too big or if you're done being pregnant. However, if you want to let nature take its course, that's perfectly fine, too. There are different philosophies and it depends on what you're most comfortable with. I would say about 30-50% of women end up using pitocin; their uterus needs help or their membranes have been ruptured too long. You do have the right not to and I can tell you what risks may be involved.
Me: Am I required to get an IV?
Dr: Unfortunately, yes. Just in case some emergency arises. I've seen it happen too often where someone gets dehydrated or is in such distress it's too difficult to get a line in, so it's much easier to just do it when you come into the hospital. We can put a lock on it, though, so you're not attached to any machines and can move around.
Me: What is your c-section rate? I saw on the NYU website that theirs is 29.9%.
Dr: Mine is about 10-20%. One thing you have to account for is the fact that in a city like this you have a very diverse population including obese patients, those with diabetes, drug users, etc., and so the rate is going to be higher than, say, rural Iowa. And then of course things happen where the baby is in distress, or perhaps a woman's pelvis can only deliver an 8 lb. baby when a baby is 10 lbs [I'm not too worried about this - I think my hips are equipped to handle a larger baby!] I know that there are some doctors who are bias and not looking at medical reasons for doing c-sections. I mean, studies have shown that there are certain peak hours that they take place, like at 6PM on a Friday night, but I definitely wouldn't do that [another fact from TBOBB was that 4PM and 10PM are when the most c-sections occur - just before dinner or when doctors are just tired and want to go home to sleep.]
Me: Will I be able to choose the position in which I give birth?
Dr: (Smiling) I'd be interested in seeing the data supporting different ones. I can tell you the biomedical support for various positions.
Me: I just want to make sure I'm not forced to be flat on my back pushing it out.
Dr: Well, it's a hospital, not a prison!
Me: And just out of curiosity, how many people do you have due around my date of January 19th? [I actually asked this one because I'm curious how crowded the hospital's going to be; I don't know that we can afford a private room, but I don't know how well I'll handle being in a room with another mother and her baby for two nights - but I didn't go into that with the doctor.]
Dr: Well, in a practice like this where we're mostly serving gynecological patients as opposed to obstetric patients [I think those are the terms he used, or something closely related], we tend to have lower numbers of women giving birth. Most months I only have about five or six women due, and even if another woman is in labour the same time as you, you don't have to worry that the baby will drop at the same time - it hasn't happened in my two years here.
Me: OK, I think that's it for now.
Dr: Did I pass?
Me: Yes, you did. :)
So even though I would prefer to have a home water birth with a midwife (our place is just too small, I think), I feel like my doctor is sympathetic to my concerns and needs. He got a tad defensive as I was asking him questions (but I'm sure he's been attacked by hormonal, NYC women before, and that's put him somewhat on edge with lists of questions like this), but he's got a very calming voice and way about him that makes me trust him. The thing that I most appreciated was how much he told me it was my decision on how to proceed. I will be thankful to have a doula there. We can't afford to hire a seasoned one, only a newbie doula (on average in this city it's $500 for one that's been to less than six births, $800-1000 for up to 15-20 births, and then much more than that for one that's been around and seen it all), but I trust that she'll have adequate training and can help me and Jason determine if something truly is medically necessary, or if they're trying to use scare tactics (they know that a woman will most want to protect her child, so the easiest way to get her to comply is by saying "it's for the good of the baby"). And, in the end, it's the law that will allow me to deny any treatment I don't want, so if some nurse comes at me with pitocin and I say "heck no!", she has to legally comply. But again, I will do everything for the good of the baby, and to keep myself as healthy as possible (I already had a staph infection and colonitis this past year, I'm good, thank you very much) - that's what it's all about.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
New Registry and Doctor's Visit
So we decided we much prefer a crib that we found at Target.com.
I was already thinking of starting a 2nd registry there because some things are less expensive. They also just updated the Babies R Us site, so it looks better but is often down, and takes way to long to load pages, so I always have to have another window up to be reading or doing something. Grr. So I'm still finishing up both registries, but it's fun to explore.
And I had a doctor's visit yesterday. I had the glucose test done to see if I might have gestational diabetes - should find out tomorrow if I have to go in for the 2nd, 3 hour test. Unfortunately I had called ahead of time to see if I needed to fast for a while beforehand, since my appointment was in the evening, and was told no. And so I ate gummy worms and my boss walked by and laughed and said "yeah, you're going to fail it." Oh well.
I do really love my doctor. I finally got to ask him more questions: would he be ok with a doula in the room? Yes, anything to make me feel more comfortable. Does he do episiotomies (which I do not want - I want to go as natural as possible)? No, not unless it's completely medically necessary, but he doesn't remember the last time he did one - it heals better even if you just tear a bit. And he's just very gentle and kind and I feel safe with him. He also did a quick ultrasound (he does one every visit), and baby looks good. Placenta still looks like it's a bit low (a little placenta previa), but in four weeks I go in for another "big" ultrasound at the professional ultrasound place (more 3D photos!). I'm also supposed to start counting kicks - when I concentrate on it I should be feeling 10 movements in 90 minutes. So far not a problem, nothing I'm worried about yet!
So now, rather than find a midwife (my original mission, until I realized how much I love my doc), I'm going on the hunt for a good doula, just to help during labor so I can hopefully avoid the drugs!
I was already thinking of starting a 2nd registry there because some things are less expensive. They also just updated the Babies R Us site, so it looks better but is often down, and takes way to long to load pages, so I always have to have another window up to be reading or doing something. Grr. So I'm still finishing up both registries, but it's fun to explore.
And I had a doctor's visit yesterday. I had the glucose test done to see if I might have gestational diabetes - should find out tomorrow if I have to go in for the 2nd, 3 hour test. Unfortunately I had called ahead of time to see if I needed to fast for a while beforehand, since my appointment was in the evening, and was told no. And so I ate gummy worms and my boss walked by and laughed and said "yeah, you're going to fail it." Oh well.
I do really love my doctor. I finally got to ask him more questions: would he be ok with a doula in the room? Yes, anything to make me feel more comfortable. Does he do episiotomies (which I do not want - I want to go as natural as possible)? No, not unless it's completely medically necessary, but he doesn't remember the last time he did one - it heals better even if you just tear a bit. And he's just very gentle and kind and I feel safe with him. He also did a quick ultrasound (he does one every visit), and baby looks good. Placenta still looks like it's a bit low (a little placenta previa), but in four weeks I go in for another "big" ultrasound at the professional ultrasound place (more 3D photos!). I'm also supposed to start counting kicks - when I concentrate on it I should be feeling 10 movements in 90 minutes. So far not a problem, nothing I'm worried about yet!
So now, rather than find a midwife (my original mission, until I realized how much I love my doc), I'm going on the hunt for a good doula, just to help during labor so I can hopefully avoid the drugs!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Belly shots!
All right, finally found the camera cord and can post belly shots of recent days, in my 26th week of pregnancy:
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Bedroom sets
I got an email last night that the original bedroom decor, "Giggles", I'd been wanting, is now in stock, so I jumped on it and ordered the bedding set, valances, and diaper stacker.
However, if I get them and decide it doesn't look right (and I have 3 months to do so, which is lovely), I'll go with the 2nd set I fell for, which is more expensive but organic, called "Kids Line Bunny Meadow".
It will look a bit different, though, as the crib we've chosen is white. For some reason they don't make this particular crib (which is convertible to a toddler bed) in a nice brown color that also has a matching changing table ; to get the set it's either white or black, and white just works better with the bedding.
So I guess we've just made our first major purchases in the bedding and accessories. I'm excited to get the room decorated, but also OK to wait, as we'll have a 30-year-old man moving into that room next week for a couple of months. Of course he knows it'll still be storage for cute, snuggly, baby goods, but I don't want to overwhelm the poor guy just yet. :)
However, if I get them and decide it doesn't look right (and I have 3 months to do so, which is lovely), I'll go with the 2nd set I fell for, which is more expensive but organic, called "Kids Line Bunny Meadow".
It will look a bit different, though, as the crib we've chosen is white. For some reason they don't make this particular crib (which is convertible to a toddler bed) in a nice brown color that also has a matching changing table ; to get the set it's either white or black, and white just works better with the bedding.
So I guess we've just made our first major purchases in the bedding and accessories. I'm excited to get the room decorated, but also OK to wait, as we'll have a 30-year-old man moving into that room next week for a couple of months. Of course he knows it'll still be storage for cute, snuggly, baby goods, but I don't want to overwhelm the poor guy just yet. :)
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The joys of registering
If you walked by me now, you'd probably laugh at how bleary-eyed I am - at least one guy did when he said "good night!" and it took a good 30 seconds to respond. That's because I'm still working on registering for baby at Babies "R" Us, and I couldn't possibly be more overwhelmed!
Actually, that's not true, because I was on Sunday when Jason and I went to register. When we arrived, we were one of maybe 4 or 5 couples in the process of filling out our forms and getting the info needed, but we were taken care of pretty quickly by the very knowledgeable and friendly registrar - were up and about in 10 minutes or so. Checkout took much, much longer, though, with many customers complaining that the one, less friendly and competent registrar, was taking too long. It was at least 20-30 minutes once we sat down, and if you know New Yorkers, particularly pregnant, hormonal New Yorkers stuck in a crowded and overheated store, they don't take that kind of thing quietly (we were probably the most patient, though I was on the verge of tears a few times). Otherwise we spent 2 hours walking around the more-crowded-than-last-time store (though we knew it would be a long and painful process), trying to at least figure out our bigger items. Sadly, as a child of the Internet age, I wanted to read the reviews on many things (breast pumps, toys, etc), before scanning. Some things I scanned though I wasn't sure I loved, and later deleted. And really, we only got through maybe 1/6th of the list before I almost had a meltdown and was too lightheaded and nauseous to continue, and my wonderful husband told me we just needed to go because I was too overwhelmed and nearly crying (of course this was followed by the long checkout).
We think we have most of our major purchases picked out. The only question being the bedding set. We'd had one that was pale green and brown and retro that I loved, but found another that is pale green and brown that is organic with bunnies that I love a tiny bit more. Unfortunately, neither set is currently available online, so pretty much whichever makes it first will probably be the one we go for. The crib we chose is tall and inexpensive, but converts into a toddler bed later on. And the stroller we chose is definitely the most expensive item, but will in essence be our "car" for baby. It's a Maclaren, which I was told is the only stroller to consider in NYC as it's lightweight with a strap (I have about a 3-story walk up to the subway where we live), and though we could've gone with the cheaper version, this is the only one approved from birth to 55 lbs. (the others were all 3 mos. plus, and I don't want to have to rely only on a sling and backpack during that time whenever we go out, particularly with my back and neck problems), and comes with 3 different reversible pads, as well as a foot muff (much needed as I'm due in January), and rain cover. We also went with the least expensive, yet highest reviewed car seat. It almost seems a waste since the only time we'll need a car seat really is when we leave the hospital (it's illegal to leave without one), and Jason suggested borrowing one from someone. But I'm just thinking it will be better in case of emergency to have our own - for instance if we have to run to the hospital or back and need the seat.
So the rest of this week I'll spend "finalizing" (I have to put that in quotes because obviously it's going to change over and over until baby actually arrives) the registry; I've just spent the last 5 hours or so between work figuring out various apparel and safety products, and definitely still have a ways to go. I know some people are frustrated that we don't know the sex but it's really not that hard. Lots of natural colors, meaning whites, creams, browns, greens, yellows, and blues. I am avoiding pink, though, as I just can't do that to a little boy (and I'm still 60+% sure that it actually is a boy).
Honestly we're not expecting anything to actually be purchased for us (although I am doing a secret stork, that is, secret Santa, with the women on one of my pregnancy message boards). Anything we get would be a blessing, but I can't honestly tell if we'll have a shower or not (one of the single men in our church community group got all excited about it, and thinks they should have one for us; he asked if they could bring beer, which I think is hilarious, though!), being that most of my family and several of my closest friends are in Seattle, California, or the Chicagoland area. The registry will be a great guide for us, though, and we'll somehow figure it out.
When it comes down to it, though, we'll probably go with Jason's rule of thumb: "if it wasn't around when we were babies, then we don't need it, because I think we turned out OK!"
Actually, that's not true, because I was on Sunday when Jason and I went to register. When we arrived, we were one of maybe 4 or 5 couples in the process of filling out our forms and getting the info needed, but we were taken care of pretty quickly by the very knowledgeable and friendly registrar - were up and about in 10 minutes or so. Checkout took much, much longer, though, with many customers complaining that the one, less friendly and competent registrar, was taking too long. It was at least 20-30 minutes once we sat down, and if you know New Yorkers, particularly pregnant, hormonal New Yorkers stuck in a crowded and overheated store, they don't take that kind of thing quietly (we were probably the most patient, though I was on the verge of tears a few times). Otherwise we spent 2 hours walking around the more-crowded-than-last-time store (though we knew it would be a long and painful process), trying to at least figure out our bigger items. Sadly, as a child of the Internet age, I wanted to read the reviews on many things (breast pumps, toys, etc), before scanning. Some things I scanned though I wasn't sure I loved, and later deleted. And really, we only got through maybe 1/6th of the list before I almost had a meltdown and was too lightheaded and nauseous to continue, and my wonderful husband told me we just needed to go because I was too overwhelmed and nearly crying (of course this was followed by the long checkout).
We think we have most of our major purchases picked out. The only question being the bedding set. We'd had one that was pale green and brown and retro that I loved, but found another that is pale green and brown that is organic with bunnies that I love a tiny bit more. Unfortunately, neither set is currently available online, so pretty much whichever makes it first will probably be the one we go for. The crib we chose is tall and inexpensive, but converts into a toddler bed later on. And the stroller we chose is definitely the most expensive item, but will in essence be our "car" for baby. It's a Maclaren, which I was told is the only stroller to consider in NYC as it's lightweight with a strap (I have about a 3-story walk up to the subway where we live), and though we could've gone with the cheaper version, this is the only one approved from birth to 55 lbs. (the others were all 3 mos. plus, and I don't want to have to rely only on a sling and backpack during that time whenever we go out, particularly with my back and neck problems), and comes with 3 different reversible pads, as well as a foot muff (much needed as I'm due in January), and rain cover. We also went with the least expensive, yet highest reviewed car seat. It almost seems a waste since the only time we'll need a car seat really is when we leave the hospital (it's illegal to leave without one), and Jason suggested borrowing one from someone. But I'm just thinking it will be better in case of emergency to have our own - for instance if we have to run to the hospital or back and need the seat.
So the rest of this week I'll spend "finalizing" (I have to put that in quotes because obviously it's going to change over and over until baby actually arrives) the registry; I've just spent the last 5 hours or so between work figuring out various apparel and safety products, and definitely still have a ways to go. I know some people are frustrated that we don't know the sex but it's really not that hard. Lots of natural colors, meaning whites, creams, browns, greens, yellows, and blues. I am avoiding pink, though, as I just can't do that to a little boy (and I'm still 60+% sure that it actually is a boy).
Honestly we're not expecting anything to actually be purchased for us (although I am doing a secret stork, that is, secret Santa, with the women on one of my pregnancy message boards). Anything we get would be a blessing, but I can't honestly tell if we'll have a shower or not (one of the single men in our church community group got all excited about it, and thinks they should have one for us; he asked if they could bring beer, which I think is hilarious, though!), being that most of my family and several of my closest friends are in Seattle, California, or the Chicagoland area. The registry will be a great guide for us, though, and we'll somehow figure it out.
When it comes down to it, though, we'll probably go with Jason's rule of thumb: "if it wasn't around when we were babies, then we don't need it, because I think we turned out OK!"
Monday, September 29, 2008
Back to Baby
I haven't actually blogged about baby for a bit, being that we've been all-consumed in our trip to Jamaica and then moving to Queens. But baby is doing great!
Definitely kicking these days, still at somewhat random times of the day, though I may start writing down when it happens for myself. For a while I wasn't really having Jason feel my belly, as it was like trying to point out a shooting star - always just missing it. But now I think it really recognizes him - the other night he had put his warm hand there for a moment before I got a good WHOMP! - though it was just below his hand where he couldn't feel. A few nights later, after a few decent kicks, a couple he could even see, he put his hand on me and he was able to feel many good ones. I get most filled with joy and emotional when I see/think about my baby and daddy interactions.
I also now know that I definitely look pregnant. I think it's the first time I do. I haven't (in my head - Jason's said I look pregnant for the last month or so), in large part, because I have two bumps. One up over my stomach, which I think may be where my food storages lie, and the other down where baby is, cut in two by my belly button, which is starting to spread a bit and look like a frowny face (I'm anxious to get an outie!). I've been waiting for them to join together. Well now, at 5+ months, I guess it doesn't matter so much, because people are starting to recognize that I am pregnant, and I am definitely waddling these days. Always concerned about the train ride, I think I'm to the point where, as long as there is a decent person sitting and willing to give it up, I will get a seat. I try to avoid using them, but I do have some powers of manipulation. I can walk on a crowded train to the middle of a bunch of seats, look very defeated for a moment when I see none are available, and then someone will tap me on the shoulder and I thank them profusely before sitting and settling into a book. Hey, when I haven't been pregnant I always offer my seat to the elderly, people with children, or a pregnant lady - though I admit I wait a second to see if any kind gentlemen will offer first (often they won't). :)
And, I'm not sure how obese people do it. All of a sudden when I sit too long, my butt becomes very, very sore, and my tailbone hurts. All that extra weight, I'm guessing? I would seriously consider getting a donut pillow for my desk if I wasn't embarrassed. And even that may not stop me if I can cover it with something black so it blends in!
The one thing that has scared me most is, what if something happened to me, would the baby be able to survive at this point? Well, on one of the pregnancy boards I'm often on for babies due January 2009, one of the women gave birth very prematurely at 23 weeks and the baby is actually doing very well! Obviously I want to hold onto this kid as long as possible (within reason, of course), but it gives me hope that this baby could survive outside the womb if something went very wrong. It also makes me feel more connected with it. I'm someone who believes life begins at conception, but now that it's survivable (that's gotta be a word), I'm starting to recognize it as its own little person aside from me. Both exciting and scary - I feel like I'm actually entering into motherhood and someday this tiny life will be a full-grown human being in front of me, having babies of its own!
Definitely kicking these days, still at somewhat random times of the day, though I may start writing down when it happens for myself. For a while I wasn't really having Jason feel my belly, as it was like trying to point out a shooting star - always just missing it. But now I think it really recognizes him - the other night he had put his warm hand there for a moment before I got a good WHOMP! - though it was just below his hand where he couldn't feel. A few nights later, after a few decent kicks, a couple he could even see, he put his hand on me and he was able to feel many good ones. I get most filled with joy and emotional when I see/think about my baby and daddy interactions.
I also now know that I definitely look pregnant. I think it's the first time I do. I haven't (in my head - Jason's said I look pregnant for the last month or so), in large part, because I have two bumps. One up over my stomach, which I think may be where my food storages lie, and the other down where baby is, cut in two by my belly button, which is starting to spread a bit and look like a frowny face (I'm anxious to get an outie!). I've been waiting for them to join together. Well now, at 5+ months, I guess it doesn't matter so much, because people are starting to recognize that I am pregnant, and I am definitely waddling these days. Always concerned about the train ride, I think I'm to the point where, as long as there is a decent person sitting and willing to give it up, I will get a seat. I try to avoid using them, but I do have some powers of manipulation. I can walk on a crowded train to the middle of a bunch of seats, look very defeated for a moment when I see none are available, and then someone will tap me on the shoulder and I thank them profusely before sitting and settling into a book. Hey, when I haven't been pregnant I always offer my seat to the elderly, people with children, or a pregnant lady - though I admit I wait a second to see if any kind gentlemen will offer first (often they won't). :)
And, I'm not sure how obese people do it. All of a sudden when I sit too long, my butt becomes very, very sore, and my tailbone hurts. All that extra weight, I'm guessing? I would seriously consider getting a donut pillow for my desk if I wasn't embarrassed. And even that may not stop me if I can cover it with something black so it blends in!
The one thing that has scared me most is, what if something happened to me, would the baby be able to survive at this point? Well, on one of the pregnancy boards I'm often on for babies due January 2009, one of the women gave birth very prematurely at 23 weeks and the baby is actually doing very well! Obviously I want to hold onto this kid as long as possible (within reason, of course), but it gives me hope that this baby could survive outside the womb if something went very wrong. It also makes me feel more connected with it. I'm someone who believes life begins at conception, but now that it's survivable (that's gotta be a word), I'm starting to recognize it as its own little person aside from me. Both exciting and scary - I feel like I'm actually entering into motherhood and someday this tiny life will be a full-grown human being in front of me, having babies of its own!
Moved in
We did it.Somehow we always do. But after this weekend, Jason has made the edict that we will raise three children in this apartment, somehow smuggle in a dog for its lifespan, and die here. Never moving again! I predict that as long as we're in NYC and have no more than 2 young children we'll be in our new Astoria apartment.
After a busy couple days, with Jason running on about 8 hours of sleep total, and my on 15 or so (unheard of these days!), we're finally going to just order Thai and veg all evening.
The new place is incredibly quiet - are we still really in NYC? And it's definitely bigger, with a beautiful kitchen and nice rooms throughout. The only problems so far are that the bathroom has very little ventilation and smells strongly of paint, and the new-shaped windows require new curtains. I was planning a run to Bed, Bath, & Beyond this evening, but that may not happen. Besides, JC Penney is having a home sale and I think I've decided to go with blinds for the living room, over curtains, and need to take new measurements so I can get the made-to-order ones.
Overall we're very happy. Couldn't have done it without the 8 amazing friends who showed up to help out and my workhorse of a husband who took over where I couldn't due to pure exhaustion and inability to lift.
After a busy couple days, with Jason running on about 8 hours of sleep total, and my on 15 or so (unheard of these days!), we're finally going to just order Thai and veg all evening.
The new place is incredibly quiet - are we still really in NYC? And it's definitely bigger, with a beautiful kitchen and nice rooms throughout. The only problems so far are that the bathroom has very little ventilation and smells strongly of paint, and the new-shaped windows require new curtains. I was planning a run to Bed, Bath, & Beyond this evening, but that may not happen. Besides, JC Penney is having a home sale and I think I've decided to go with blinds for the living room, over curtains, and need to take new measurements so I can get the made-to-order ones.
Overall we're very happy. Couldn't have done it without the 8 amazing friends who showed up to help out and my workhorse of a husband who took over where I couldn't due to pure exhaustion and inability to lift.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Our new 'hood: Astoria
I'm stealing this video from my friend Julie, so parents can see a bit of the neighborhood we're moving to. This is from Travel Channel's show No Reservations, and they're hitting up The Kebab Café (Astoria is known for it's large Greek population and restaurants). It looks pretty freaking amazing. I'd have Julie and Chris take us, but she's becoming vegan and I don't know that the sheep brains and testicles will appeal to her. Hopefully Jason won't read this, and he'll be willing to go with me. :) As they say in the clip, though, this is the kind of stuff most of the world eats, most don't eat fillet mignon for dinner (not that we do!). Apparently it's praised by NYC foodies, inexpensive, and it's right off our train stop, whoo hoo!
Moving, Ikea, Target, Dogs in Costumes & Ninja Cats
Currently I am OD'ing on Red Hots. In response to a previous post, in which I mentioned I couldn't find the right kind of animal cookies (Keebler's) or Red Hots candies ANYWHERE in NYC, my amazing mother-in-law sent me a box loaded with both. For the baby, of course. God bless her!
OK, since I often type a lot, if you decide not to read my blog, that's cool, but you must watch these 2 videos. The first one Jason showed me last week and I was laughing so hard I was crying. Now I watch it when I need a pick-me-up, but can't watch it at work or they'll think I'm dying out here. The second Jason showed me last night and I was laughing nearly as hard. Just too funny! (And if you don't get it, perhaps we just have a strange sense of humour.)
OK, now back to me.
Just 3 days until we move, but it's all coming together. At Bible study last week we asked if anyone knew of any good movers. We were ready to shell out a wad of cash, but our friends told us that was ridiculous and offered to help us out. So, after spending the rest of the week packing (I can only do it for so long at a time each night before I'm just too exhausted, and my stomach, or uterus, I should say, has been sore lately so that it's hard to move to fast or bend over), Jason's dropping me off early on Saturday to meet the cable guy. Actually, cable guy won't be there until 2-6PM, so it gives me a chance to have brunch with my awesome friend Julie. But Jason has to be back at our old place at noon to meet everyone, and with traffic, it just makes more sense to be there early. Plus, I tend to get too stressed out on moving day, so taking me out of the picture completely makes it easier on everyone. As I haven't actually been to our new apartment, it'll also give me a chance to figure out where things are going to go, and sit and read on our two oversize pillows. It's supposed to rain that day but hopefully no one will bail out. And thankfully we've got a couple friends that have cars, so they can transport folks up to Astoria from Park Slope without them having to deal with the 90 minute train ride in between moving. Then of course pizza for everyone, and Jason and I will crash and probably not do anything until the following morning, when I'll do much unpacking and Jason goes back to clean the old place. Whew!
We actually went to the new Brooklyn Ikea last night. I've never had a more pleasant Ikea experience, and I'm sure never will again. We road the bus (it came before the Ikea shuttle) to a nearly empty store, but first had to have dinner at their cafe. Probably less than 15 minutes. Looked at the kids' stuff, but their cribs are nearly half the size of normal cribs - not OK when mom and dad are 5'10" and 6'2". So we grabbed some wine glasses for $5 and then went to the rug department. Yeah, we were given some 16 wine glasses for our wedding, but they were so fragile that we're down to two. Yes, two. I'm probably going to cry when one of those breaks, since we've managed to hold on to them for the last year. Somehow we still have eight martini glasses, but we never really make those.
So then we headed to the rug department. The old one we had was a brown/black shag that got filled with white cat hair and I finally broke a glass in the other day (did I not mention I tend to do that?) and so it was kicked to the curb. My designer husband is so funny - he didn't know what kind of color/design theory goes into picking out a rug for an apartment and didn't want anything to wild. So I showed him the ones I liked, all off-white or beige, and he chose his favorite out of those (also my favorite). We grabbed a few things on the way out and took the lovely shuttle bus, waiting right smack in front, back to our house and walked the four blocks home. So lovely and easy!
Tonight I have to make a final trip to the dreaded Brooklyn Target for some glasses (of the 16 of those we bought maybe a year and a half ago, we're down to maybe seven - it will definitely help that we have a dishwasher at the new place so we won't be dropping them as much anymore!). I love Target back at home but the one in Brooklyn is just overcrowded, nothing is ever where it should be, the lines are awful, and it's just not pleasant. But we really need these glasses, and last minute things for our new home. So it's worth it.
See, I always write too much. Aren't you glad you watched the cute videos first?
OK, since I often type a lot, if you decide not to read my blog, that's cool, but you must watch these 2 videos. The first one Jason showed me last week and I was laughing so hard I was crying. Now I watch it when I need a pick-me-up, but can't watch it at work or they'll think I'm dying out here. The second Jason showed me last night and I was laughing nearly as hard. Just too funny! (And if you don't get it, perhaps we just have a strange sense of humour.)
OK, now back to me.
Just 3 days until we move, but it's all coming together. At Bible study last week we asked if anyone knew of any good movers. We were ready to shell out a wad of cash, but our friends told us that was ridiculous and offered to help us out. So, after spending the rest of the week packing (I can only do it for so long at a time each night before I'm just too exhausted, and my stomach, or uterus, I should say, has been sore lately so that it's hard to move to fast or bend over), Jason's dropping me off early on Saturday to meet the cable guy. Actually, cable guy won't be there until 2-6PM, so it gives me a chance to have brunch with my awesome friend Julie. But Jason has to be back at our old place at noon to meet everyone, and with traffic, it just makes more sense to be there early. Plus, I tend to get too stressed out on moving day, so taking me out of the picture completely makes it easier on everyone. As I haven't actually been to our new apartment, it'll also give me a chance to figure out where things are going to go, and sit and read on our two oversize pillows. It's supposed to rain that day but hopefully no one will bail out. And thankfully we've got a couple friends that have cars, so they can transport folks up to Astoria from Park Slope without them having to deal with the 90 minute train ride in between moving. Then of course pizza for everyone, and Jason and I will crash and probably not do anything until the following morning, when I'll do much unpacking and Jason goes back to clean the old place. Whew!
We actually went to the new Brooklyn Ikea last night. I've never had a more pleasant Ikea experience, and I'm sure never will again. We road the bus (it came before the Ikea shuttle) to a nearly empty store, but first had to have dinner at their cafe. Probably less than 15 minutes. Looked at the kids' stuff, but their cribs are nearly half the size of normal cribs - not OK when mom and dad are 5'10" and 6'2". So we grabbed some wine glasses for $5 and then went to the rug department. Yeah, we were given some 16 wine glasses for our wedding, but they were so fragile that we're down to two. Yes, two. I'm probably going to cry when one of those breaks, since we've managed to hold on to them for the last year. Somehow we still have eight martini glasses, but we never really make those.
So then we headed to the rug department. The old one we had was a brown/black shag that got filled with white cat hair and I finally broke a glass in the other day (did I not mention I tend to do that?) and so it was kicked to the curb. My designer husband is so funny - he didn't know what kind of color/design theory goes into picking out a rug for an apartment and didn't want anything to wild. So I showed him the ones I liked, all off-white or beige, and he chose his favorite out of those (also my favorite). We grabbed a few things on the way out and took the lovely shuttle bus, waiting right smack in front, back to our house and walked the four blocks home. So lovely and easy!
Tonight I have to make a final trip to the dreaded Brooklyn Target for some glasses (of the 16 of those we bought maybe a year and a half ago, we're down to maybe seven - it will definitely help that we have a dishwasher at the new place so we won't be dropping them as much anymore!). I love Target back at home but the one in Brooklyn is just overcrowded, nothing is ever where it should be, the lines are awful, and it's just not pleasant. But we really need these glasses, and last minute things for our new home. So it's worth it.
See, I always write too much. Aren't you glad you watched the cute videos first?
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