Calling all cesarean birth moms!

Well we have a new twist in the pregnancy - I now may be headed for a c/s. Baby's on the big side, and we want to avoid shoulder dystocia. A new twist just emerged at today's OB appt, too. I've got another vag infection (what is it with my pregnancy and freaking infections!)....which is normally no big deal, except that I'm preggo. This particular infection could be bad if the baby got it, which would primarily occur through a vaginal birth.

Our OB said it should take about 2 weeks to go away, but I don't think we have 2 weeks left. I think I have a matter of DAYS before I go into labor. He said not to worry, we will just have to do a c-section. In my family, women go into labor 14 days early, always starting with water breaking. He said if my water breaks first, we'll have up to 6 hours to get her out before risk of infection gets high.

SO.....I'm trying to wrap my head around getting a c/s now. The most important thing is to get her out safely (and no shoulder dystocia!)...but I do worry about the c/s, the long recovery, the pain, the inability to move around much.

For any of you who had a c/s, I would so greatly appreciate hearing the good, bad and ugly. From showing up to the hospital (did they do epidural or spinal), to the actual procedure, to especially what the recovery was like.

1. How long were you bedridden?
2. How long did it take for you to be able to walk around normally
3. How long until you were back to normal, able to exercise, etc?
4. Did the stitches ever come open?
5. How wide was the incision, and did it heal nicely or is it all big blotchy and puffy red 6 mo later?
And anything else I should know. Thanks so much! xx

Santa Cruz

Today we drove down to Santa Cruz with the puppy. Weather was gorgeous!

36 weeks. Large and in charge!

Feeling huge. Tons of BH contractions. Baby moves so much during the day, it actually hurts sometimes. Today she's the sleeping dragon, must have worn herself out. I'm excited to reach the end of this pregnancy, and get baby on the outside of my belly! Of course, each time I get a stomach cramp, I freak out. Maybe I'm not quite ready for the pain of labor yet...either way, it's coming!

Two little bummer stories from this week -
1. We had our breastfeeding class at the hospital. At a break, this older lady came up to us and asked "So are you taking this class as students?" Uhhh no. She then saw my belly and said "Oh, you're pregnant! It's just that - I didn't see a MAN over here."

2. My group at work is notoriously boys club. Boobie jokes, women often getting paid less than men, only guys get promoted, etc. Today it got really personal. I wasnt around to hear it, but my friend said our VP was saying disparaging things to others in our group about teammates taking maternity leave. He griped about one woman who just got back, and another who's out right now on leave. How inappropriate is it to say that stuff! in a nasty tone, no less. AND in front of their coworkers! One younger coworker got sucked in by it all and said, "Yeah. 4 months PTO. Must be nice. I gotta sign up for that." (Half the people in my group think maternity leave is Club Med, just sitting around and tanning, watching TV)

Anyway both of those chapped my hide....but they can all kiss my ass. My big gigantic pregnant ass. And in funnier news, I pulled out ye olde handmirror today. Holy shit, my cooter DOES look like two swollen purple twinkies!!! It was a bit of a shock to see it!

36 weeks - checkup

Just got home from the OB.
Got my Group B test.
He checked my cervix - NO dilation. :( :( :( I was hoping for a 1 or 2.
40%-50% effaced.
I gained effing 4 pounds AGAIN in 2 weeks! I am eating like a bird, I swear. I eat nothing, there is no room in my belly. Any weight gain has to be baby. She feels a lot bigger. She was 6lb4oz at 34 weeks. She must be close to 8lbs now. I'm not sure if I can birth this baby if she's 10-11lbs soon. :(

My sister and mom said they always went into labor at 38 weeks on the nose. But they were also 1cm dilated for weeks beforehand. Im just bummed that my cervix is VERY tight, and shows no signs of opening. Maybe I won't follow in my sister's footsteps after all. I really was hoping for a 38 week birth.

For those of you who remember - with your first child, how dilated/effaced were you at 36/37 weeks, and how soon after did you go into labor?

Pubic Symphisis Separation?

I noticed since yesterday my public bone really aches bad in the front - it's painful now to walk at all. I'll ask my OB about this on Tuesday, but has anyone else suffered from this? Did it heal on its own, or was it a permanent condition? It's miserably painful, just walking 10ft is rough.

Week 35 pic

And trust me, I feel even crappier than I look. LOL.

Nearing the end

Wow. Do you know how long I've waited to have my pregnancy ticker look like this? Today the final baby image is now highlighted. I really can't believe it.

I'm getting close to starting my 9th month. Here are a few observations about the 8th-9th month of pregnancy!

1. Even in my 8th/9th month, I still puke when brushing my teeth.
2. One can never drive slow enough over speed bumps. (Bouncing with a big belly doesn't feel good)
3. Pooping is worthy of a housewide announcement..and arguably a FB status update. (Haven't done the latter just yet) :)
4. Just like the kama sutra book shows 500 positions for sex, I could write a kama sutra equivalent book for sleeping positions while pregnant. I must have 500 positions that I switch between in one night alone.
5. In line with #4, there is no longer a single comfortable sleeping position.
6. You become increasingly dependent on, and truly thankful for, your spouse/partner/sig other.
7. Putting on socks is virtually impossible. Underwear is almost in the same category. And the only wearable shoes at this point are slip-on.
8. I now own more maternity sweats than regular non-maternity pants/jeans.
9. The panic of labor is sinking in.
10. It still doesn't seem real that in a matter of weeks our lives will be so different, and we'll have a little baby in the house. Will it not feel real until we bring her home?

Water broke or I have incontinence

===Update: Well it was neither! Doc checked me out - he said I have a LOT of cervical mucous. Apparently it starts out all thick and white and creamy, but because I have so much lately, my body temp heats it up, melts it, and it comes splashing into my underwear. He said some women are just like this in late pregnancy, and that I should start wearing panty liners. (And here I thought I wouldn't need to use one of those for a while!)

So all is good. baby's still baking. :)
===


My doc wants me to come in this afternoon to get checked. I noticed earlier that my underwear was all wet (like a 6" long water stain, filled out to both sides of my underwear). Now, I had just peed like 15 minutes prior, so my bladder wasn't full.

I changed my underwear, and although the leaking has slowed down, I'm still leaking hours later. What gives?

My doc wants to check to see if my water may have broken. I'm calm, which surprises me. This baby isn't due for 4.5 weeks, so this would be pretty darn early. I just hope that if today is the day, that she is healthy and ready to face the world.

Then again, it could be that today I've been hit with third trimester incontinence! Did anyone else have a constant leak?

34w 5d - Not feeling so good

Maybe this is all normal and part of the third trimester, but I really feel like crap. My sister warned me it gets worse each day, and she's right.

My belly feels SO HUGE, like baby is cramped in there. Her movements are now quite painful for me, especially when she likes to thrash around. My ribs and belly are in constant pain, too. One of my ribs has popped out of the rib cage, and they can't get it back in. I can't do much about it till baby's here. it is horrific pain 24/7.

Since yesterday, I now feel very queasy all the time. Almost like I will throw up. I can't seem to shake this feeling. The top of my belly has sharp shooting pains. All I can imagine is my giganto uterus is squished along the bottom of my ribs, and is about to pop!

Last but not least, I started getting LOTS of BH contractions on Thursday. I was getting them every 10-20 minutes for a while. I drank a ton of water and went to sleep when I got home, and they subsided. I still get them now, maybe once an hour. They feel so weird.

I feel like a serious hot mess, and it's probably good old fashioned hormones, but I cry all the time now. This degree of discomfort, pain, nausea, and increased anxiety for labor has me a wreck.

Am I crazy to think I can work up to my due date? That's 5 weeks away! Please God, let this baby be fully baked by 37/38 weeks, and come early. I feel like each day at work is now a marathon...and my POS boss told me I have to go to some all-day sales conference next week. What's the point, I will be out on leave a few weeks later! What a dbag.

34 weeks - umm, my baby is huge

Today was our 34 week OB appointment. I TOTALLY came in thinking I'd lost weight since two weeks ago. My stomach is so squished, and I eat like a bird. 3 bites, and I'm full. PLus I don't eat GREAT, but I don't eat bad. I eat sandwiches, eggs, cottage cheese, soup, and yes the occasional slice of pizza. I feel like I'm eating 1,000 cal a day lately, and it's all I can manage.

So you'll imagine my surprise when the scanner said my 34 week baby is 6lb 10oz. I said that's impossible, she couldn't gain 2lbs in 2 weeks. He redid the measurements like 3x, and finally ended up with 6lb 4oz.

That is f*cking huge! Several of my friends/family have had babies recently, all weighing that amount. I'm basically carrying a baby the size of their full-term babies. I, myself, was only 6lb 2oz when I was born.

Even worse, I've personally gained 4lbs in 2 weeks! Despite eating like a bird. I got a lecture on how overeating and eating bad foods can be contributing to my baby's weight gain in the 3rd tri. I was just dumbfounded....I'm eating good, too little, in fact.

So this baby is on track to be nearly 11 pounds. God help me. I was a bit depressed after the appt, feeling ashamed of my eating/not working out...to have caused this ginormous baby.

Aside from that disappointment, my BP is normal, no protein in my urine, all looks good. No more ultrasounds for us, booooo!

I am praying this baby comes early at 37-38 weeks, once she's full term. Anything I can do to jumpstart labor at that time? :)

Third Trimester = good times

Ok, I'm convinced that my body just can't adjust to pregnancy. I know some women at 33 weeks who feel pretty good, and I feel like complete crap 24/7.

I did some soul searching, and here is the best way to describe how I feel in my third trimester:
*The day after a rugby game (or getting beaten up, as I would imagine it to feel), AND
*A MLB pitcher hitting you with a 90mph ball in the front and back ribs, AND
*Glass shards all along your lower pelvic region ligaments, AND
*A watermelon stitched into your lower abdomen, pulling everything forward (and down), AND
*Your lower back being hooked up to an electric shock machine that sends spasms to that area
*Feeling like you just did a Man vs Food Challenge of eating 500 hamburgers..to the point it feels like your belly will truly explode....and yet that feeling never goes away.

And that's just the beginning. Can I get an amen?

I'm 33 and a half weeks today. I totally count the "half" now. :)

The new Bachelorette

I may have to suck it up and watch some bad reality TV this season......one of my coworkers, Ali, was picked as the next
Bachelorette!

She was in the final 4 on the Bachelor, for anyone who followed it. (I didn't, haha) Well good for her, hope she has a blast with it.

33 weeks - I feel like kaka

I can't believe how crappy I feel at 33 weeks. My back is in horrific pain all day, my ribs have sharp spasms, my ligaments way down at the bottom of my pelvis feel like broken glass is lodged in them. I have moments at night where I can hear and FEEL my heart pounding loudly, struggling to keep up..and my breathing gets labored for a bit. And that's just the beginning.

I don't know how I will make it another 7 weeks. It feels like a marathon ahead of me.
I still plan to work up to my due date, but it's getting so difficult. Each minute that ticks by at work is already challenging.

We see our OB next Tuesday. I'll ask him again about this huge numb patch (and stinging) under my right tata, on top of my ribs. I also still feel the baby have these little seizure-like spasms several times a day. It doesn't sound completely uncommon, but it still concerns me a little.

I just gotta make it to week 34! Below is a pic we took tonight of me. You can see I am very tired and pretty much not caring how I look anymore. :)