John William Is Here!!

Little Will was born at 2:19pm on Wednesday, weighing just under 7lbs. The three of us are all doing well! I finally got to kiss his little feet and rub his little nose. :) In fact, his right foot was the first thing I touched when they pulled him out of me. :) (They lowered the screen just enough so I could see him.)

Will has gotten two great reports from his pediatrician. He is nursing really well, which has made me very happy! I'll post details later - just wanted to get some pictures up for everyone. We should be going home tomorrow morning.

12pm Tomorrow!

C-section is scheduled to be done at noon tomorrow. We're heading to the hospital at 10am.

So next post will have pictures of our son!!!!

:)

Missing Sleep

Nope - you didn't read the time this was posted wrong. Its 4:40am in the morning - kind of sums up what it has been like for me the last 5 days or so. We made it past Christmas - thankfully, Will will not have a Christmas birthday. But I suspect that, with or without the c-section, he is about ready to come out. Every pregnancy symptom seems to have hit me these last few days, and poor Ellis has had to suffer with me. Since about Thursday or Friday night, I wake up around 2:30 or 3:00 to pee and then can't ever fall back asleep. Tonight, I got about 3 hours of sleep, but woke up with heartburn! Yes, Jennifer, I have finally suffered from heartburn in this pregnancy. I'm definitely thankful I didn't have it before now. Ugh! I will say that, for the most part, pregnancy was not bad for me at all - I enjoyed being pregnant. But this last week or so is not for me! :) At around 3 this morning, I told Ellis "Well, I guess my days of sleeping through the night are over for a really long time." I was hoping I might sleep through the night tonight - b/c I am pretty darn sure I won't be able to tomorrow. Ellis thinks it just the anticipation of everything, and he is probably right. Its definitely been a strange Christmas for us this year!!

9 Months Pregnant

I wanted to have a few pictures of Ellis and me when I was 9 months pregnant. Dad was kind enough to come over and take some for us. I realized that my black top makes it a little difficult to see how big Will is now. I bet I'll have some more pictures at Christmas though!

This is Ellis's favorite thing - he thinks its hilarious how I can put things on my "shelf." I do this often with the ice cream bowl ... no hands needed. :) And its a great place to put the remote control. :)

One Week

If all goes as it should, one week from today, we will finally meet little Will. I had, what should be, my last prenatal appointment yesterday with my favorite doctor again, Dr. Risinger. She is going to perform the c-section. Ellis and I have decided not to try the version procedure. We would rather not subject Will to any more trauma than needed. The procedure is really unlikely to turn him, and then I'd be in surgery anyway. So, rather than push and pull on him and possibly put him in distress, and then yank him out - we decided it was best to just do things calmly and planned and have the c-section.

We will go in around 10:30 or so (exact time of the operation hasn't been finalized) next Wednesday for the c-section and then, as Dr. Risinger says, we get to have a birthday party. :) Ellis and I are anxious and excited. Its weird knowing exactly when he will be here. And yet, I am so very very very ready to meet him. I can't wait to kiss his little feet and snuggle up to his little face and nose.

I will admit that I still have a little trouble adjusting to the idea of a c-section vs. regular labor. I guess I feel in some ways like I am being robbed of that last moment after carrying him for 9 months. If all goes as planned, I will end this pregnancy without ever even feeling a contraction (other than the occasional Braxton Hicks). It does make me sad to think that Ellis and I won't get to experience that moment of anticipation when I get to tell him "Its time" and he helps me through the beginning stages of labor, we go to the hospital and tell them we are in labor, we make all the phone calls to excited family and friends, and I get to see Will come into the world and immediately lay on my chest. It does not help that so many of the birth books and other such "help" books out there make it sound as if a mother has failed somehow if she has a planned c-section. Calling the "common" use of the procedure an "epidemic." According to the Birth Book by Martha Sears, which I hate by the way, c-sections are a "convenient" means for doctors to deliver a baby and that the decision to take a breech baby by c-section is because a doctor is not "brave" enough to attempt to deliver it vaginally. The rationale behind it is only to "take no chances," and apparently that is a really bad thing, according to Ms. Sears. The book makes you doubt everything a doctor thinks or says to you and makes you think every suggestion or decision they make has some ulterior motive that has more to do with their well-being or career and not yours or the baby's. Frankly, having a brother in the medical profession, I just can't believe that is true. Sure, there are bad doctors out there just like there are in any other profession - and I definitely believe that you should make yourself aware of your options. But I do think it is unfair to judge any woman who finds herself in the position of having to have a c-section rather than "natural" labor and delivery. Maybe breeched babies can be safely delivered vaginally in some cases, as The Birth Book claims, but I also see absolutely nothing wrong with "taking no chances." If you can avoid known possible risks associated with it - why put yourself and the baby through it on the idea that, although you might be taking a chance, it is better for the baby to come out "naturally."

Anyway - sorry for the rant. But I must admit I feel better having written it. I have never had surgery - never even been admitted to the hospital - so as we eagerly anticipate the arrival of little Will, I would be lying if I didn't admit that, once in a while, I fret about whether we are making the right decision and get a little sad when I think about the "natural" labor that I will not have. And it hurts to read the stuff that is out there that perpetuates my feeling that I am being "less of a mother" by having a c-section.

In the end, as long as Will comes out healthy -- that is ALL that matters to me. :)

December 27th

What a difference a week makes - and what a difference a different doctor makes!

After reflecting back on my doctor's appointment last week, I think the reason Ellis and I (well, particularly I) took the news so hard was the way in which it was told to us. The doctor I saw (who shall remain un-named) made it seem like we had to hurry up and make a decision right away, needed to have the version procedure by the end of this week if we were going to do it, and we better get ready to have the c-section early next week. So we left there thinking we had to make some tough decisions in the next couple of days and, what freaked me out the most, thinking that we were going to have this baby in the next week or two - and not because he was ready but because we would undergo a medical procedure or surgery that would take him out.

Well - today I saw my favorite OB and Ellis and I feel a zillion, billion times better. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Dr. Risinger is AWESOME! Anyway, Will is still clearly breeched - but I'm also nowhere near ready to have him so that Dr. Risinger didn't even bother checking my cervix (famous last words, right?). She was wonderful to talk to, explained things much more clearly to us and, most importantly, told us we should not feel pressure that decisions and procedures had to happen in the next day or two.

I emphasized to Dr. Risinger that I did not want to do a procedure or have a c-section that would take Will out earlier than he was ready to. She agreed that right now is a bit early - we don't need to worry about rushing things when I am only 37 weeks. In fact, she said we could wait until about January 3rd if we wanted. I really want her to do the procedure, and she is on call only December 27th or January 5th so....

After talking it through with her the "Plan" as of today is that we are looking to December 27th to be Will's birthday. If we decide to do the version procedure after talking to the high risk OB (nope, still haven't heard from his office but Risinger is following-up on that for us), then we are going to do it that day. If it works, which admittedly has a low probability since I will be 38 weeks and 6 days pregnant, then I may be induced or, if everything goes really really well, then I can just go home and wait to go into labor. If the version doesn't work, then we'll go right in for the c-section.

So ... unless Will decides he is ready to come out on his own (or the version goes really well or the little guy flips), we'll be singing happy birthday on the 27th!

Thanks again to everyone for their thoughts and concerns. I now know this isn't something to be as freaked out about, and I'm sure if I'd seen Dr. Risinger last week, my experience that day and the days the followed would have been much different. (Like I'm sure I would not have taken the news so hard.)

The Nursery is Complete

Here are a bunch of pictures of our nursery. Ellis did a wonderful job getting up all the shelves and Will's name and other pictures on the wall for me. It was such a nice surprise to come home to Friday. And then the chair arrived Saturday. We are both very very pleased with how it came together!!

(Hope these pictures upload okay. Our camera stinks - the day time pictures are really bright and the nighttime ones are dark. )

Still thinking...

Thank you to everyone for their advice - on and off the blog. Ellis and I are coming to terms with what we need to do. I think we both are coming to the conclusion that we will skip the version procedure (thank you to my friends out in the medical field for correcting me!! duh - its not an inversion but a version procedure...oh well). We would rather let Will stay in as long as he can. I've heard lots of stories of women being induced right after a successful version procedure - which would be the end of this week, I guess. And we just aren't ready to do that yet. Anyway, I went for an ultrasound at the high risk OB's office Friday, so I'm assuming we'll have the consultation Tuesday or Wednesday. We'll see.

Will did look fine in the ultrasound though. Good strong heart, and apparently big chubby cheeks! :) He weighs about 6 pounds, 3 ounces.

(Marie - I haven't tried the frozen peas method. My OB looked at me like I was from Mars when I mentioned it to her. But I guess I really should try anything. I've got the peas in my freezer, so I'll give it a try!!)

When you are expecting, expect the unexpected

So, it all started last night. I had Braxton Hicks contractions that actually kept waking me up. They started to make me anxious because I wasn't positive they were just practice contractions, or whether they were real contractions or what was going on. And I ended up only getting about 4 hours of sleep last night (as did poor Ellis).

Then, at 8 this morning, Ellis and I went to meet with Dr. Castles, a pediatrician that Jennifer highly recommended to us. We were both very impressed with him and the practice, so despite the lack of sleep we both had the night before, things were going well.

My 36 week appointment was at 9:00. Ellis wasn't planning on coming but after the night I had, I told him I wanted him there. Thank God he was! Baby's heart rate and everything seemed good. My cervix had not dilated or effaced so any worries I may have had the night before were alleviated. But the doctor couldn't feel the baby (probably because I am carrying so high) so we waited for her to do an ultrasound to determine whether Will was still breeched or not. At this point, I was about 95% positive he was in the same position, but I was not worried about it because the doctor at my 34 week appointment didn't seem to think the breeched position was a problem. From what I understood, we had plenty of time to see if he would turn, and it could happen even right up until I went into labor.

As I suspected, we saw Will's big head on the ultrasound screen - its still up at the top of my uterus. The guy has not moved since he was big enough to be in a breeched position. Something tells me he is going to have some stubborness in him! :)

The doctor then proceeded to tell us that we had 2 options at this point. We could try the inversion procedure to see if they can get the baby to turn. My doctor's practice does not do inversions, so she would need to set up a consultation with one of the high risk OBs at the hospital if we wanted to try it. Otherwise, we needed to schedule a c-section. As most of you know, I really really wanted a vaginal birth. I didn't want a scheduled induction and I didn't want a scheduled c-section. So the information was a bit overwhelming - needless to say, there were quite a bit of tears on my part. But we talked to the doctor for a while about all of this. If we do the c-section, they want to do it when I am 38 or 39 weeks - which means the week before Christmas or the 26th or 27th. (If Will ever complains about his birth date, I'll just have to explain to him that it was all his fault ... I tried to keep him in until January, I really did.)

The doctor said that 2 weeks ago she would have told me that I had plenty of time for him to turn and not to worry about it. But now I am very close to being full term, and they want to discuss options and make sure we have a plan in case he does not turn. She said that the chances he turns at this point are very slim because he does not have the room to do it, plus, if he drops into my pelvis as labor approaches, he really won't be able to.

I have heard things about this inversion procedure and do not have much faith in it. Ellis and I agreed we should explore our options and at least talk with the doctor - but I told him I'd be going with great pessimism. I know it can be a painful procedure for mom, can lead to complications for baby where we end up having an emergency c-section, and it doesn't have the best probability of success. Of course, I know it can work too, and let us have a more natural and safer birth. But if any of you have experiences about this inversion procedure you could share with me (commenting on the blog or sending me an email), I would really appreciate your sharing it with me so Ellis and I can make a good, informative decision and have some additional questions for the doctor. (Although I'd like to avoid hearing the worst horror stories ever, please!!)

After the appointment, I was definitely upset and knew I couldn't go to work right away. I came home and talked to some family and friends and, most importantly, Ellis and I had some time to mull it over. I felt a lot better by the time I headed into work around 2. People at work (well...most of them anyway) have been fabulous about my pregnancy. My boss told me that I really just needed to take care of the baby and if I needed to start my maternity leave now, he would understand. But its all so up in the air right now, I couldn't tell him for sure when it would be. I know I'm not ready to start yet.

Ellis has been wonderful throughout all of this - he is very much my rock through situations like this and helps me see the good things and prevent me from over-stressing about the bad things. The important thing is for Will to come out safely and healthy, and if a c-section is what we have to do, then that is what we will be prepared to do.

So, the plan at this point is to wait to have the consultation with the high risk OB about the inversion procedure. Ellis and I want to wait until after Christmas to have the c-section, and we both have lots more questions to talk to the doctors about, which I guess we will get to early next week. (My next appointment is Wednesday.)

Of course, now we're both realizing how we need to really make sure we are READY for this baby! :) Ellis is finally putting up my shelves in the nursery as I type this. The store called today and said my glider and ottoman are in so it is being delivered Saturday. Hopefully, I will have pictures of the "finished" nursery to share after this weekend.

'Course, little Will could surprise us all and flip tonight! Wouldn't that be wonderful??

Anticipation

So, I haven't updated in a while because ... well ... there isn't much to say. :) Ellis and I are doing all the last minute preparations for the baby. I will admit I had a little bit of anxiety last week. I got nervous about all the little things we still needed to take care of and the fact that I could potentially go into labor at any time. But I have learned that I am now in my 9th month of pregnancy and really just need to SLOW DOWN - since then I have felt much better. I have things pretty much in order at work to the point that, if I happened to go into labor tomorrow, I know most things would be taken care of. That is a big relief. Finishing touches on the nursery are being worked on -- I hope to have it completely done in the next week. (Ellis is hanging shelves, the chair should be in at any minute, and I have some decorations to hang on the wall.) We are meeting with 2 pediatricians that came highly recommended to us, so this time next week, we should have one lined up. We also toured the labor and delivery floor at the hospital last week, which really made me relieved -- something about knowing where we would go and where I would be just made me feel better.

So things are moving along! I am 36 weeks Thursday and have my next prenatal appointment then!

I really hope this baby stays in after Christmas ... but, if he decides that is when he wants to come, I know we will find a way to make sure he feels special on his birthday each year. I just want him to be healthy and happy. Can't wait to meet him! And I know it will be here before we know it!