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August 4, 2003
39 Weeks – Pregnant Office, Labour Herbs, Practicing Positions and Kids Acting Out
Once again, another busy week…
I had my appointment with my Dr’s partner in the practice, as my Dr. is on vacation right now. The funniest thing? She is pregnant too! She is about 10 weeks ahead of my own Dr. and will be starting her maternity leave I believe in mid-September. My own Dr. will begin her leave the first of December, which is great timing for us because the regular visits with the Little One will be over by then :-) Okay, so back to the visit. I asked about testing for Group B Strep, because a few ladies on another web board I visit have been tested this week, but none are from Nova Scotia, so I didn’t know what the policy was here. Turns out that they don’t do any testing before you get to the hospital because I may not have it now, but can get it later sort of thing. So, I believe I get tested when I get admitted when I am in labour, but only if I am high-risk for it, which I am not currently. Blood pressure still excellent, weight is creeping slowly upward, but so is my swelling… Boy my feet, ankles, calves and knees now are really starting to swell :-( Mostly, it is uncomfortable, not dangerous so far because I don’t have any indications of toxaemia or anything, which is wonderful. The heartrate was nice, right around where it has been the whole pregnancy at each visit, and I am measuring 2 weeks ahead, at 40 weeks – woah big baby! So, we made an appointment to see my Dr. next week when she returns, if I have not started labour by that point. Which I actually don’t think I will, I have had a feeling the whole pregnancy that I will be going later rather than early, but we shall see, we shall see…
I have started to take Red Raspberry Leaf tea to start to ‘tone’ my uterus for labour. It is wonderful tea that many women use during their menstrual periods as well to aid cramps and such, and is reputed to help ‘organize’ labour cramps so that when they DO begin, they are more productive, shall we say. The tea is lovely, and I don’t mind drinking it really, the only thing is that it is hot, and it is summer right now, so it feels a little odd drinking something hot three times a day when it is so hot out :-) I have also started to take Black Cohosh, another herb that aids in labour. It too helps organize the contractions and can help in ensuring that labour begins sooner rather than later. For that reason, women in early pregnancy are advised strongly NOT to take it because it can bring on labour and the baby is really not cooked enough at that point to come out! We will see how this effects the Little One and I. I have to say that I am not trying to interfere with the whole natural side of things here, I truly believe in doing things naturally, but I also face a strong policy here of intervention after I reach 41 weeks. I would very, very much like to avoid this intervention and so am taking these herbs to aid in my body’s readiness for labour. What they do is aid in the cervix softening up a bit so that when my hormones reach that special equilibrium to bring on labour, everything works well together. It is more like I am helping my body do what it is going to do naturally, if that makes sense to any of you.
My doula came over on Tuesday night to run through some positions with Simon and I. We went through a number of them, deciding which ones were feasible and which ones I was already uncomfortable doing. It was a good thing we have done this, as it makes me feel good preparing for labour in this way. I am sure that we won’t remember to do some of them, but at least when it is suggested, I will have done them already and won’t feel so awkward trying to do them. Well, I am sure that I will feel awkward, after all, I’ll be in labour! But I will know where my arms and legs have to go and so I think that that will be good. It was funny because some of them it felt like I should have a much smaller belly to do, I felt so BIG doing a couple of them! LOL Oh, and the other nice thing was that some of them felt heavenly to do right now, like the pelvis squeeze… Mmmm, that felt so good! I am wondering more and more now what kind of labour I am going to have, i.e. if I’m going to have back labour or not. I am definitely starting to get more anxious about when the Little One is going to arrive, but at the same time, I am really revelling in this late stage of pregnancy. I just feel so good, with this huge belly of mine. I definitely feel as if I am the epitome of the pregnant woman, like a goddess almost. Pregnant with not just my own Little One, but also with a lifetime of hopes and desires, dreams and wishes… Wow, what a profound feeling it all is.
I didn’t go to yoga this week, because as I was making the bed after doing the positions with my doula, I pulled something in my back. Not badly, but enough so that it was quite uncomfortable. In fact, I made an appointment with the Dr. just to go in and make sure that I was alright and that I hadn’t done anything serious. Turns out that I just had a regular pulled back and that some heat therapy and rest will do it just fine. But still, I wonder how many of the women are wondering if I am not there because I went into labour. How surprised they will be to see me next week! See, I am certain that I will be there next week, I’m already planning on it :-)
We are working madly, and I mean madly away at Simon’s thesis, because we only have ten business days to do all the edits that came up from his defence. The defence went really well and he passed with only minor revisions, but still, there are three copies of edits to do, so he is working on the back computer so that I can sit at the office computer with the nice chair and all… well, because I’m 9 months pregnant! LOL I am doing all of the grammar and spelling changes while he is typing up new sections and re-arranging things. It is going well and I think we will finish in time, but I also need to go through each and every page myself and make sure that it sounds right and all. Simon has a tendency to mix up some words like then and than and things like that, that don’t always get caught when someone is editing. It is something that I am good at however, so, I am helping out with that for him. Then, when that is all done, we have to go and get it printed off on nice paper and then check every page of every copy of that to make sure it printed off alright. Ugh, lots of work but I think well worth it!
Something that I have noticed the past few days is that the kids are acting out a little. Or, rather, they are acting funny compared with how they usually have been the past few weeks. Brook is constantly by my side now. While she still doesn’t necessarily listen to me, if I tromp upstairs to get something, she will follow me, plop down at the top of the stairs while I am doing whatever I have to do, and then follow me down when I return downstairs. It is truly the funniest thing. I definitely get the feeling that she knows something is going on, she is sensing a change in me from even last week, and I am getting excited that she may know if I am going into labour or not… Miss Scarlett too is acting funny. After not really wanting anything to do with me for the past couple of months, she has taken to sitting on me again. Or, rather attempting desperately to sit on me. I have been sitting on the couch with my legs elevated for a couple of weeks now, and lately it has been almost cool in the evenings so I put a light blanket over my legs. What she will do is lie in the little valley that is formed with the blanket and my legs, stretching right out from knee to ankle. It is so incredibly sweet! Both of my kids are being so attentive right now, and it is just wonderful to see and experience their love and care for me. I do wonder how they are going to react to this squirming little baby when it is no longer in my belly though! LOL
We had the neighbourhood grandmothers over for tea this week as well. They live two houses down from us, and are probably two of the loveliest people you will ever meet. Both of them are in their sixties and have decided to become partners, one has been married and has a few grandkids who come over frequently in the summer and play in their backyard. I can’t wait until I have little people playing in my backyard! :-) Anyway, we just had them over for lemonade and a chat, and it was great. A nice quiet afternoon. They are getting quite excited for when all the babies are going to arrive and we talked about who was due when and what might be the actual arrival order. This is defiantly something that has gotten me thinking quite a bit of late as well… I wonder who IS going to make the first appearance? It’s getting exciting!
I spent Saturday night with Jeanette, her sister and her cousins, plus a couple of other girls. It was a girls night out thing that she has done every year since she was just a kid, and since she was actually in town for this one, she invited me along. I was the only preggo there, she was the only one with a child :-) It was a real blast. The girls were really so nice, we talked about all sorts of things ranging from child care, to labour, to hairstyles, to celebrities, to stories of when they were younger. I would say that the only bad thing about the night was that I wasn’t able to join them in the libations, it was strictly non-alcoholic beverages for me! Oh, one funny thing was that I had eaten dinner before going there as I came over in the early evening and they had ordered pizza and garlic fingers. I was thinking that I was quite full already, but the Little One let me know that pizza was quite amenable, and I had a giant (and I mean they were GIANT pieces) piece of pizza. Followed by several garlic fingers. And then, Jeanette made two other things. One was cream cheese and herbs baked into a puff pastry, so that the cheese was all melty and absolutely delicious. The second was cookie dough, not quite cooked through, in a small pan, with French vanilla ice cream scooped on top of it. OH MY GOD it was good. Wowzers… and I has thought that I was full BEFORE I arrived? I practically had to be wheeled out of there, what with my gigantic belly and all the food I ate! LOL When Simon came to pick me up, he brought along Miss Scarlett (we often bring the kids in the car if we are going somewhere, so that they are comfortable in there for when we take vacation trips and such) for me to snuggle on the way home. Everyone loved her, as people generally do when they meet such a tiny little kitty :-)
Sunday was also spent with Jeanette. We had plans to make a necklace or bracelet for me to wear during labour, but sadly, I completely forgot where I lived and the fact that nothing is open on Sundays! Pregnant brain – argh! So, we ended up just stuffing ourselves silly again for brunch at a brunch place, buffet style. I can’t honestly remember how many times I got up to refill my plate, but suffice to say that I really wasn’t hungry until very later that day :-) We chatted about what I expect for my labour and what role I expect Jeanette to play in it. She was concerned given my penchant for making plans that I had mapped out or planned out my labour, but I think was quite relieved when I made it clear that I was trying my very hardest to not have any preconceptions at all about how, when or where my labour will take place. Well, except for the basics that we all prepare for I guess. I’m just trying to say that I don’t expect me to have my water break, go into contractions, dilate a centimetre an hour or any of that. I have no idea what is going to happen and have made preparations to be as comfortable as possible when I finally do enter this amazing event. We had a real ball for brunch, and our conversation veered to a whole variety of topics, but mainly was centred upon either labour, pregnancy or children oriented in some way. I am SO GLAD I have met this amazing woman and become friends with her, because she is, truly a great person. Considerate, kind, sincere, good-natured, weak-willed (hee hee – want to rent a movie J?) strong-willed, passionate… Goodness, I could go on and on and on, but I won’t. Suffice to say that she really is amazing.
Symptoms: I have a whole whack of symptoms to write about, I suppose because this pregnancy is coming to it’s end and my body is beginning to take the toll it is laying upon me. Firstly. I am bumping into things. AGAIN. Yeah, AGAIN. I had thought that the last time I adjusted my personal space was going to be the last time. Well, the Little One is just giggling inside of me, I can tell! I am huge. Gigantic. Gorgeously pregnant is actually how I feel. Lush, the epitome of womanhood. So what if I have to adjust that space again! I just feel like saying to the world, and I suppose my belly is indeed saying it: Hey, I am woman, and carrying a child. Such an empowering feeling this is! Wow :-) Secondly…. I have been feeling cramps. I liken them to menstrual cramps, but do recall, my menstrual cramps are like labour cramps. I feel them build up to a certain level, remain there and then fade away. And they are STRONG. So for me to say that I feel menstrual cramps is not an indication of premature labour or anything, it means that my body is really preparing for this wonderful work that it is about to embark upon. They haven’t really formed any pattern, don’t occur more in the morning or evening or anything, they just come and go right now… Leaving me to just stop and wonder when I am going to meet this tiny child that I have been growing inside of me… :-) My feet have become astronomically large. And I am really not kidding here. All of the girls at the night out remarked sadly and longly about my poor, unfortunate feet. My ankles are like huge grapefruit, my toes like little sausages, my calves too have swollen up, as have my knees. It is making movement quite uncomfortable because the skin is sooooo tight. Argh… But, what can I do, eh? C’mon baby! LOL The last thing is that I feel that the Little One is really low. When I walk up stairs, I feel it the most, of course, but also when I bend over to do something too. I am not certain if my belly shape has changed with this latest movement, but just something that I noticed and thought to record is all. I am definitely able to wrap my arms around myself now to give a good hug and I notice that my little shelf is much more sloped downward… but that is about it.
**Talk to Me**
Did you have friends who were due close to you and what order did the babies finally arrive in?
Did you take any natural aids to ‘organize’ your labour and contractions, and when did you start them? Did it make any difference?
Did your pets start to act any differently the later your pregnancy progressed, and what were they like JUST prior to you beginning labour?
Namaste, Laura and the Little One
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