I am in the home stretch of my pregnancy and feeling
ready! The past couple of weeks I have crossed the threshold from enjoying being pregnant, to feeling pretty uncomfortable and looking forward to the end. I am trying to keep a positive attitude and relish the movements in my belly because it will be the last times that I experience that magical feeling of a little life inside of me, but my sore, swollen body is a bit distracting.
I didn't get weighed throughout my pregnancy with Liliana and I haven't with this baby either. Neither Dr. Biter or my midwife are very concerned about weight gain--we talk A LOT about nutrition and they ask for details on my diet and take blood to check my iron and protein levels, but the scale is not concerning to them, so it really isn't that concerning to me. I did, however, ask at one of the last appointments with Liliana how much I weighed out of pure curiosity and found out that I gained 42 pounds with her. Being that I am almost as swollen as I was with her at this point, I asked on Friday about my weight to discover that I have already gained 42 pounds with Baby Boy at 37 weeks. Despite the fact that I have been exercising a lot this pregnancy, it looks like I will gain even more than I did last time. Which, just confirms what I always say about weight gain during pregnancy--your body is going to do what it needs to. I really don't have much of a sweet tooth (although I have sent Adam for frozen yogurt a few times in the last month) and we don't eat many processed foods (although when I am pregnant I order pancakes on the rare occasion that we go out to breakfast), I still get HUGE when I am pregnant.
I know that I am huge because well-meaning friends and strangers stop to tell me that I am...and even use that exact word..."HUGE". I have heard that I have one of the biggest bellies some people have ever seen. When I was just 8 months pregnant many people couldn't believe I still had a couple months of growing to go. I often heard, "there is no way you can get any bigger!" Lately I have been getting looks of pity when people notice my 'cankles' and sausage fingers and swollen face. Liliana's comment the other day was my personal fave: "Mom, your buns are SO BIG! Baby brother must be pushing on your buns like he is pushing on your belly!" And the other day when she was rubbing my feet (she massages my feet, hips and shoulders without me asking her to) she asked, "is he all the way down here because even your feet look bigger!"
One aspect of this pregnancy that has improved dramatically since the beginning and just keeps getting better is Liliana's excitement and involvement in all of it. She kisses him all the time, tells everyone we meet about her brother who is "due the end of July", shops for him (she made Adam take her to the store to pick out a Winnie the Pooh 'lovey' for him the other day), makes pictures for him, checks in all the time to make sure he is still, "head down", rubs him, talks to him, sings to him, and reminds him and anyone who will listen that SHE is the BOSS of HIM! :) She is so excited for him to "come out" and still hasn't missed a single appointment or opportunity to listen to his heart beat or measure my belly in the midwife's office.
Baby Snake Eyes is still head down. I had a little scare last week where I was convinced and in tears because I thought that he was breech. He has been low and head down for a long time, but his back was against my right side (which I learned is not ideal and can lead to longer labors) and he was on his side, putting him in danger of being posterior (which could lead to a 'sunny side up' or face up delivery--which is painful and long). My midwife and chiropractor both warned me about this and told me not to stress out, but to do some stretches and instructed me on my sleep position. After my last breech baby there is no way I could take the news of a less-than-ideal position and not stress out! I did everything they told me to do and he flipped to the correct side within a day. At first I was thrilled, but then started having movements that led me to believe he was breech like his Big Sister. My fears only lasted a few days because my midwife and chiro and OB have all confirmed that he is head down, VERY LOW, and probably not going anywhere.
Because he is so low, I have had a lot of pressure and have been having a lot of contractions for the past month or so. It is a new and welcome sensation compared to Liliana's pregnancy. I never really had contractions with her because she was so high and sideways, so there was no pressure on my pelvis or cervix. I am getting such strong Braxton Hicks that they often wake me at night and slow me down a bit during the day. I actually like them and take them as a sign that I am getting closer to having this baby vaginally.
We are basically "prepared" (as much as one can be I suppose) for the birth of our Baby Boy. While I haven't put it on the blog yet, we have known since I was about 4 months pregnant, that we are having him at home. Our birth kit and all of the supplies are ordered and organized in bins, we have had our home visits with our midwife and doula, and our last office appointment with our OB. All that is left is for Snake Eyes to let us know he is ready. Most people that know about our birth plans have been really supportive, but I do get a lot of concerned questions and looks, especially because of my previous cesarean. Without making this long post even longer with a list of statistics about the safety of an hbac (home birth after cesarean), I do feel compelled to say just a few things. I didn't make the decision to have a home birth quickly and without a ton of research and discussion with medical and birth professionals that I trust. While the risk of uterine rupture does increase 0.1% with a vbac (vaginal birth after cesarean), that number does not reflect the amount of vbacs that are augmented with epidurals and pitocin/cytotec which are known for causing ruptures in all births, regardless of previous cesarean history. Obviously, being at home, I will not have any of those interventions so my risk of 0.1% decreases. As my hypnobirthing teacher (who I visited for a fear release session this pregnancy) asked me, "wouldn't you do most anything with a better than 99.9% success rate?" Basically, I have the same chance of getting bitten by a shark, and I do not let that risk worry me or keep me from swimming in the ocean every chance I get. It is also important to note (though I won't go into detail) that a repeat cesarean has many risks associated with it as well and impacts the health of the baby. The people that I chose for my "Birth Team" are amazing and have lots of experience working with hbac mommas--Dr. Biter (my OB) has done more than he can count and believes in their safety and recommends them; Dawn (my doula) had a hbac after 3 cesareans and because of that is sought out by other vbac mommas and has assisted more than she can count; Lindsey (my midwife) had a hbac and is well known for her work with hbac mommas as well. While I admit to brief moments of doubt earlier in my pregnancy when I immersed myself in more research, I now feel confident and secure that this is a safe, healthy, beautiful way to welcome our son into the world and I am getting SO excited to give birth!!
I am at the point where a lot of my time is consumed with keeping him and I healthy...between my doula, midwife and OB, I have a professional checking us out (and keeping an eye on my blood pressure, which has been great so far) at least once a week--often twice. I have chiropractic care weekly and I see an accupuncturist twice a week. I do stretches and night and go to prenatal yoga whenever possible. I stopped working two weeks ago, so my days are filled with fun in the sun with Liliana and keeping this baby healthy, happy and ready to be born at home.
