Cloth diaper cutie!

Elise modeling Kissaluv's cloth diapers in size 1. :)

The Girl I Used To Be

The Girl I Used To Be
Rowena K. Lewis

She came tonight as I sat alone
The girl I used to be....
And she gazed at me with her earnest eye
And questioned reproachfully;

Have you forgotten the many plans
And hopes I had for you?
The great career, the splendid fame,
all the wonderful things to do?

Where is the mansion of stately height
With all its gardens rare?
The silken robes that I dreamed for you
And the jewels in your hair?

And as she spoke, I was very sad
For I wanted her pleased with me...
This slender girl from the shadowy past
The girl that I used to be.

So gently rising I took her hand
And guided her up the stairs
Where peacefully sleeping, my babies lay
Innocent, sweet and fair.

And I told her that these are my only gems,
and precious they are to me;
That the silken robes is my motherhood
Of costly simplicity.

And my mansion of stately height is love,
And the only career I know
Is serving each day in these sheltered walls
For the dear ones who come and go

And as I spoke to my shadowy guest,
She smiled through her tears at me.
And I saw the woman I am now
Pleased the girl I used to be

Some more "girly" things

This cute burp cloth is from my cousin Sherry who has an embroidery business.  I have never had anything embroidered for either of the kids, so this is very special!  I received it in the mail yesterday, it was a complete surprise!!!

My mom found some clothes for both of the kids at yard sales up in Michigan.  I received two boxes full of clothes yesterday, along with these adorable shoes!  Girl stuff is so much fun!

Photos from the last few days

Getting big!!

I had Elise weighed at my midwife's house when she was 4 weeks old and she had gained 2 lbs 2 oz!!  Wow!  Go mama milk!!!  She will be 6 weeks old this Friday.  Growing so fast!!

Birth story of Elise Mae

It was Thursday evening, May 21st, I was 39 weeks 2 days pregnant.  We were having a nice family night together, just the three of us.  After dinner we took a walk around our neighborhood.  We walked past Casey and Kelvin’s house and they were outside.  Casey joked with me to keep walking until labor started.  Little did we both know that it would just hours later!  After our walk we drove up to the frozen yogurt shop at the mall for a nice treat.  We sat outside at the water fountain eating our yogurt and taking turns sharing it with Ronnie.  Then we stopped into Gap and found a few cute shirts for Ronnie for $1.48 each.  I love bargains like that!  

We got back home and put Ronnie to bed.  I checked e-mail and Facebook and did a few things around the house.  I was not very tired actually, my mind was preoccupied with the thought of labor.  I just couldn’t shake it from my head.  I finally laid down in bed just before midnight.  And almost as soon as I laid down, I began to feel mild contractions.  I could tell these were different than the Braxton-Hicks that I had for months. These felt more like “real” contractions.  Since I was wide awake anyway, I decided to watch my clock and time them.  They started out around 6 or 7 minutes apart, then went to 5 minutes, then 4, then 2 minutes.  After about an hour and a half of that, I thought maybe I should call my midwife, Mary Anne, just to let her know what was going on.  They were not super strong, but they were quite regular, and to me they felt like they were progressing.  It was about 1:25 am when I called her.  We talked for a bit and she told me that early labor can go on for quite some time.  But if I wanted her to come, she would come anytime.  And she would just sleep on our couch if nothing came of it.  She also told me it was not the space between them that mattered, but how long they lasted.  She told me to try to time one and then get some rest if they are less than 40 seconds long.  Since I was talking to her through my contractions, she figured this was early labor and not much was going on.

I found the stopwatch feature on my cell phone and laid back in bed to time them.  The first one was 53 seconds, and it was getting a bit more uncomfortable, especially laying down.  So I went and sat on the toilet to see if that felt better for me and continued to time them.  I got a couple of them over a minute long.  But I was not sure how many of those I needed to have to be considered “progress”, and I was hesitant to call Mary Anne back right away since it was the middle of the night.  Surely I wasn’t progressing that fast was I?

Ron was not able to sleep anymore since I was up with contractions and had already called Mary Anne once.  So he started getting the house straightened up and ready in case this was it.  About an hour had passed since I first called Mary Anne, and the contractions were stronger now, to the point where I had to stop and hold on to something through each one.  So I called her back, and had a contraction while we were on the phone, that was all she needed to hear and she was on her way.  This was around 2:35 or so.  She has a 40 minute drive to get here.

Now, I do not really know the times that things occurred after this, simply because I was a bit preoccupied with labor to even think about looking at a clock!!  I would say about 10 minutes after I got off the phone with Mary Anne that my water broke.  I was standing near the computer desk and suddenly it just gushed!  And I felt immediate pressure and felt very “pushy”.  I knew that baby was coming!  I quick ran to the bathroom and sat on the toilet.  Ron was in our bathroom cleaning out the bathtub, he had no idea what had just happened.  I remember being very grunty and pushy with each contraction, almost like I had to hold baby in!  I cried out “help me Jesus” during the contractions, that was all I could say or pray at that moment.  Ron came out of our room and saw me in there, I told him my water had broke.  He asked me what I needed and what he could do.  I told him to draw up the bath water for me so I could get in there.  He ran back into our bathroom and started filling the tub with water.  Now, I knew that the baby was coming right away, but Ron didn’t.  And I never thought to say anything to him, I guess I somehow thought he would know.  But how could he unless I told him?  LOL!  I somehow managed to walk from one bathroom to the other, and grabbed my cell phone on the way, in between contractions.  Once I was in the tub, on my knees, Ron asked me what else I needed.  I asked him to mix me up some sports drink.  So he went into the kitchen to do that.  I dialed the number for my neighbor Casey.  She was planning to be at the birth anyway, even in the middle of the night.  She is a nursery nurse at our local hospital.  So her job is to take the baby right after the OB catches it, and do the newborn exam.  She had never experienced a homebirth before and was looking forward to it.  I was only able to let her phone ring twice and I had to hang up because another contraction was coming.  And I had to push with this one!  Suddenly the head emerged, I was amazed!  I said “help me Jesus” again, and then I pleaded for baby to be okay.  Right after that, Ron came in with my sports drink.  I told him the head was out.  He looked and said “okay, now what?”  LOL!  Must have been a shock to him!  I told him the body would come out with the next contraction.  Sure enough, with the next contraction I pushed out the rest of her body.  I scooped baby up with my hands and onto my chest.  And I started rubbing her back to stimulate her.  She cried right away.  During this time, Casey had been trying to call me back.  So after baby was born, Ron got Casey on the phone and told her what had happened and asked her to come over.  I sat there holding her to me, rubbing her back and listening to her cry, completely amazed at what had just happened!  Then I realized I had no idea if I was holding a boy or a girl!  I couldn’t pull her up too high because of the cord.  So I lifted her leg off to the side and I had to look twice because there was no “thingy” there!  It was a girl!!!  I was surprised!!

Casey arrived within minutes, she had her stethoscope with her, and got the bulb syringe out from my birth supplies.  She suctioned the fluid out of baby’s mouth and nose, and listened to her heart and her breathing.  We got Mary Anne on speaker phone so she could talk to us and instruct us about what to do next.  Poor Ronnie had woke up during all this commotion, so Ron tried to rock him back to sleep, but he was fighting it.  I told him to just let Ronnie get up and see me, then he would be okay.  By that time Casey had helped get me to the toilet with a chux pad under the seat in case I delivered the placenta.  Mary Anne would need to inspect it to be sure it was all intact.  Mary Anne  arrived about 20 minutes after the birth and immediately went to work.  They got me moved from the toilet to the bed to deliver the placenta.  She gave me some herbs that help get contractions going to get the placenta out.  And that worked within minutes.  (Just a side note here, midwives do NOT pull on the cord to get the placenta out, that causes a lot of the problems that happen in hospital births)  Then Ron cut the cord and I put baby on my chest and straight to my breast to start nursing.  She latched on like a pro!

Everything checked out well for both baby and me, and Ronnie was just happy to see mama and be with us.  It was actually quite special that he was up during that time.  Mary Anne and Casey left the room for a little bit to give us some alone time as a family, that was neat.

Later on in the day Ron and I were discussing what her name would be.  Since we had her at home, we did not have to have a name immediately, we had 7 days to decide.  We had plenty of time to look at her and see what name she looked like.  Then we decided she was an Elise.  Which is a short form of Elizabeth, which means “consecrated to God”  And Mae is her middle name, which is my grandma Geurink’s middle name as well.  Mary Anne came back later that evening to check on us, and we were able to give her Elise’s name for the birth certificate.  So Mary Anne filed that for us.

Elise Mae born May 22nd at 2:57 am

8 lbs 14 oz 21.5 inches long

So, from first contraction to birth was 3 hours.  Completely amazing, and a bit unexpected.  That is how our planned homebirth turned into an unplanned, unassisted birth. :)

2 weeks old

Elise is growing and changing so much already.  Nursing like a pro too.  She has been a bit fussy/colicky for the past week.  I got an herbal supplement yesterday, it seems to give some relief, but not as much as I would like to see.  I am also cutting dairy out of my diet to see if that helps.  Regardless of the crying, I am still in love with this little sweetheart!!

Welcome to the world Elise Mae!

Shame on me for not posting to this blog!  I posted on my other one, but forgot to post here.

Elise Mae was born on Friday, May 22nd at 2:57 am.  She weighed in at 8 lbs 14 oz and was 21.5 inches long.  She came so fast my midwife was not even here yet!  From first contraction to birth was only 3 hours.  Once my water broke, I felt "pushy" and knew she was coming now.  I was able to have Ron draw up a bath for me and I got into the tub.  She was out in two pushes and I scooped her up into my arms and onto my chest while Ron watched.  It was the most amazing experience in my life!  My neighbor Casey is a nursery nurse at our local hospital and she was planning to be at the birth anyway.  So she was able to get here within minutes of her being born.  Mary Anne got here about 20 minutes later.

Everything went well and we are just loving on her.  My parents spent a week with us and that was a tremendous help.  More photos and her birth story to come!

39 weeks

Here I am only one week away from my "due date" and still pregnant!  Amazing!  I feel like baby may have engaged into my pelvis last night.  Very low movement, very heavy pressure on my pelvic bones down there.  This is getting exciting!!  I see my midwives on Friday this week, if I make it that far!  I am very anxious to meet this little one and see if it is a boy or girl and give him or her a name!

38 weeks

I am still amazed to be pregnant at this point!  But that is a good thing!  Baby will continue to grow and put on some weight, and also develop the sucking reflex.  So hopefully breastfeeding will go much easier this time.  Since Ronnie was 4 weeks early, he was not interested in breastfeeding.  So I pumped around the clock until he finally did it himself at 6 weeks old.  So I do have my breastpump and supplies in case it happens again.  And I am determined to make it work, so I will do what I have to do to make breastfeeding successful once again.  But since this baby is going to be more mature than Ronnie was, it should be easier.

Yesterday morning the Braxton-Hicks contractions have started to come on more frequently.  They still are today.  But nothing strong or regular yet.  I also felt some pain/pressure on my rectum yesterday when I would walk around.  But I am not feeling that so much today.  Baby may be in a different position today, or not down as low at the moment.  One of my midwives is coming here today for my prenatal visit.  I will post about that sometime afterwards, either tonight or maybe tomorrow.

My neighbor Casey is throwing a diaper shower for me this Saturday, permitting I have not given birth this week. :)  So I am looking forward to that.  Now to see if baby waits that long or not!

I made it to 37 weeks!!!!!!!!

I am 37 weeks today, I am going to have my homebirth!!  Woo hoo!!  I put my birth supplies in boxes today so they are ready to go.  I need just a couple more things, but otherwise I should have it all now.  Tomorrow I go for my weekly prenatal appointment.  I never made it to the weekly prenatal stage with  my first pregnancy!  Ronnie was already 5 days old by this time!  So I am glad this baby has stayed in longer.  That allows him/her to continue to grow and to be sure and develop the sucking reflex for nursing.  Ronnie did not take to nursing right away.  I had to pump every 2 or 3 hours around the clock until he finally got it by the time he turned 6 weeks old.  I have my own pump now in case that happens again, but I pray it doesn't this time.  The countdown is on! :)

Prenatal home visit

Yesterday both midwives and both assistants came for the 36 week prenatal home visit.  I also had my neighbor Casey and her little guy Blaise here.  Depending on the timing of my labor and delivery, and who can take Ronnie, Casey may attend the birth.  She is a nursery nurse at our local hospital, so she is around birth and babies every time she works.  I would like for her to experience a homebirth if it works out.

It was a 2 hour home visit and my head is spinning from all the information we covered.  Wow!  I was given some handouts about things, and signed waivers for things we declined.  We walked around the house so they would know where we keep things, and we tried to go over a basic idea of what kinds of things we would like to do during labor and delivery.  My blood pressure was good, baby's heartbeat was good.  So everything checked out well as far as mine and baby's health.

I've just got to make it 3 more days and I am in the "safe zone" for my homebirth!!!!  I was taking some walks this week and noticed that it causes my braxton-hicks to come on more frequently.  So I have decided to stop taking walks until I make it to Tuesday, just to be safe.  I'll be so relieved to make it to 37 weeks this time, knowing that when labor does start, I can just be at home!!!!!

36 weeks 2 days

Wow, this was the exact time in my first pregnancy when Ronnie was born.  At this moment in time (5:00pm), I was at Centennial Medical Center and active labor was kicking in.  Ronnie was born 2 hours and 40 minutes later.  I am glad that so far, this day has been uneventful as far as any signs of labor getting started.  And I pray that I make it just 5 more days so this baby can be born at home!!!  The midwives come here tomorrow for our prenatal home visit.  I will blog about that afterwards.  If you would like to read my birth story, you can read it at my midwives site by visiting this link:

http://www.tender-beginnings.com/marcy.html

The Webster Technique

If you look back at the photo on my last post, this one was taken just four days later.  And it was also the day after I had the Webster Technique done at the chiropractor.  Baby certainly changed position!  Wow!  And my back feels SO much better!  It is still sore and has some stiffness, but nothing like it was.  I can walk pretty much normal again!  Except for maybe a slight waddle due to my pelvic bones aching now.  But I really can't complain much since I can get around so much quicker and easier now.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Webster Technique, you can learn more about it at this website.  As well as find a Webster certified chiropractor in your area.  I am a firm believer that ALL pregnant women should get the Webster adjustment done within their last weeks of pregnancy.  You will feel better, and baby and your pelvis will be lined up for birth.

http://www.icpa4kids.com/about/webster_technique.htm

35 weeks

Here I am at 35 weeks already!  Yesterday I met with my doctor of consult, Dr. Wilters.  He is the OB who delivered Ronnie.  I am using him as my "backup" doctor for this pregnancy.  One of my midwives met me at the appointment.  It was really nice to actually sit and talk with him and get to know him a little bit.  

When I delivered Ronnie, I had never met him before, and the first time I saw him was when he came in to catch the baby!  So not any chance for chit chat during a time like that. :)  He is a really nice guy, and he's been catching babies for 25  years.  I like his personality and of course I already know how he is during a delivery, and it was a very good delivery even though it was totally unplanned.  One of the things he did while I was contracting was he used olive oil to stretch me.  I never knew an OB would do that, I thought only midwives did that.  He did not talk to me, holler at me, or tell me when to push.  He was silent and just allowed me and my body to do the work.  After Ronnie was born, they put some pitocin in my IV so my body would contract to deliver the placenta.  Dr. Wilters did NOT pull on the cord, at all.  He waited until I pushed the placenta out, and he gently guided it into the pan.  My midwife said it was so beautiful to see an OB being that gentle with the placenta that she almost cried!  After that he stitched me up since I had torn a little bit.  He never seemed to be in a hurry, he was just a quiet, patient man.  The whole labor and delivery was orchestrated by God, there is no other way to describe it because it went so well and turned out wonderfully for something that was unplanned and unexpected.

So even though I sometimes get nervous that I could go into labor at 36 weeks (which is next week already!!!) I have complete confidence in Dr. Wilters to allow me to at least have a drug free, intervention free birth as long as things go well.  But he did reassure me yesterday that just because I went early with Ronnie does not mean I will go early again.  I was glad to hear that and I have been more at peace since he said that.  I know that no matter when I do go into labor, that it is God's timing and it is in His hands.  I am still praying for my homebirth of course, I really want to experience it this time.  Baby just has to stay in for 2 more weeks and I'll get it!

I have come up with a conclusion on my pinched nerve in my back.  The last two prenatal visits I've had, baby is laying on his/her side, which  means all of babies weight is on my right side.  And it is the right side of my back that has the pinched nerve.  So I am beginning to think that if I can get baby to flip over to the proper position, maybe that will take the pressure off my back and release that nerve.  So we'll see!  Chiropractic care is not helping right now, so I am not going to continue going as often.  I know that after I deliver, the chiropractor can give me some good adjustments to get me back in-line.  But there is just not much he can do for me while I am pregnant.  So I'll see how it goes in these next weeks before baby comes.  Some days I tolerate the pain better than others.  I am trying to keep a positive attitude about it, but it does get the best of me at times.

Co-sleeping poem

Ronnie doesn't sleep in our bed the whole night, but usually we bring him in with us when he wakes up if we are not ready to get up yet.  A friend shared this poem and I thought it was so neat and fitting for any parent who even partly co-sleeps with their babies. :)


For Zarli
By Mirandah Thorn

Having you sleep with me
is a little like having you back in my womb.
You turn and the skin of my blanket rises and billows.
You stretch and your heel kicks my hip bone,
your miniature elbow pries into my ribs.
I couldn't sleep then either, too hard to move a muscle or change
position.

But back then I couldn't turn and look at you in the dark,
discerning the miniscule mountain range of your profile against

pale dawn creeping in at the window.
I couldn't inhale the holy incense of a very small human—
mostly clean with dried yogurt and Vicks around the edges.
I couldn't feel your tiny arms reaching desperately for me in the
shadows, stretching around my neck and relaxing in relief.

I feel sorry for the me before I knew you.
I feel sad for myself years from now when you are grown.
But in this now, with a sigh echoing your own,
I lie awake and content in this humble embrace
encompassing the whole world.

33 weeks

Wow!  I looked at my belly shot from last time, and compared it to this one, and I can see quite a change!  It has grown and rounded out more!  I had to show a photo of my shirt, it says "paws off", but for some reason the iMac Photo Booth makes the words backwards like looking in a mirror.  But you get the idea!  I thought that shirt was cute, I got it for $1 on clearance at Walmart.  :)

As I have shared on Facebook this week, my back is really hurting me.  I limp when I walk and it takes me twice as long to get around or do something.  Very difficult, and very frustrating when I have a husband, toddler, and house to take care of.  But God blessed me with an amazing husband who can cook, clean, and take are of Ronnie and me.  I truly don't deserve such a great guy.  I had a prenatal massage today, and it was wonderful!  But it did not help my back though.  So tomorrow I am going to Ron's chiropractor to see if he can help.  I pray he can, because I don't know how I will get through 7 or more weeks of this. :(

Breastfeeding during pregnancy

I was amazed to find this wonderful article on Baby Center about breastfeeding while pregnant.  Ronnie is 21 months old and still nursing. :)

Is it safe to continue breastfeeding while pregnant?

Jan Barger, lactation consultant

Absolutely! Millions of women through the ages have breastfed during pregnancy and continued to nurse an older child along with the new baby.

Many mothers have questions about how this works and whether nursing while pregnant could trigger premature labor or take nutrients away from the unborn baby. They may find that healthcare professionals are sometimes quick to recommend weaning — but if so, it's worth asking why. It's possible that the doctor or practitioner hasn't really researched the topic of nursing while pregnant.

There's a link between nursing and labor contractions, but it's not worrisome. Oxytocin is the hormone that's released when your baby suckles; it causes your milk to let down. Oxytocin is also what triggers labor contractions (and is the hormone that's released during orgasm).

The amount of oxytocin that causes milk to flow is a lot less than the amount of oxytocin that's needed to cause labor contractions, though, so there's no need to worry. One exception would be if your healthcare practitioner has put you on "pelvic rest" (no breast play, no intercourse) for preterm labor; if this is the case, then weaning will be necessary.

You don't need to be concerned about your unborn baby receiving enough nourishment while you're nursing his older sibling, either. Human bodies are amazing. They can maintain their own health and make milk for a newborn and provide adequate nutrition for his fast-growing sibling. You might be hungrier because of all this work, though — so go ahead and enjoy that peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

That's not to say you'll continue nursing without any changes. You may find that your nipples become tender again (like they may have been when you first started nursing). Your milk supply might go down a bit, and the taste of your milk may change (your nursing child will probably be quick to let you know!).

Sometimes an older child will wean himself during mom's pregnancy; sometimes the mother decides that she'd rather not nurse as her pregnancy progresses or that she wants to wean before the new baby comes. And some moms believe that nursing both siblings will help the children get closer to each other. It's your decision, so whatever you choose to do — enjoy!

32 weeks

Okay, look at my belly in this photo, and compare it to previous ones.  Does it look different to you?  I "feel" like baby dropped last night, but I have a hard time telling if my belly looks different.  While I was laying in bed, it felt like baby was laying on my cervix!  SO LOW!  It was such a weird sensation.  And I've felt that way all day, like baby is way down there now and using my bladder as a punching bag!  LOL!  The urgency to urinate is stronger and more frequent now too.  And some of babies movements are uncomfortable since he/she feels so low.  And, since baby is laying posterior, that is probably why it feels so different and uncomfortable.  I don't really remember feeling this with Ronnie.

My next midwife appointment is on Monday, so I am sure she will be able to confirm it.  I do feel less pressure on my abdomen too, so that is another reason why I feel that baby really has dropped.  Very interesting!!

30 weeks already!!!!

Wow,  I am still amazed that I am already at 30 weeks.  Only 10 to go.  Unbelievable.  Well, I will prepare for baby to come around 37 weeks, just in case.  But watch, I'll go beyond 40 weeks this time.  LOL!  I had my midwife appointment yesterday.  Everything was good, blood pressure, no swelling/edema, baby's heart beat was around 152.  Baby is still laying posterior, but again, it is still early, so that is not a huge deal at this point.  I will do some pelvic rocks to try and get baby to flip over.  One thing is for certain, having baby in this position makes for some very interesting, and strong, movements!  I can really feel those little arms, legs, hands and feet!  At some times I push back and I know I am feeling a little hand or foot, I just love it!  I am getting excited to meet this little one.  I laid in bed last night and wondered what this baby looks like, if it is a boy or girl, how big he/she will be.  And it made me very excited to meet him/her!!  It truly won't be long now.

I am sure within the next month or so I will hit the "nesting" mode where I start cleaning everything in sight, and get all the baby stuff out of the attic and washed up and ready.  Tomorrow I am meeting a sweet friend who is giving me some baby girl clothes she is done with.  I am so grateful for that!  I have plenty of boy stuff, but not much girl stuff.  So it will be nice to have some on hand just in case this is a girl.

In about 5 weeks I will see Dr. Wilters for a prenatal exam.  He is the OB I am using as a "doctor of consult" with my midwives.  He is the doctor who delivered Ronnie at Centennial Medical Center, so I already know him and have great respect for him.  My midwives use a doctor of consult just to have someone available if something changes in their clients pregnancy.  My midwives only take low risk women as clients.  So if a pregnancy changes to high risk due to gestational diabetes, or some other issues, then they will no longer work with that client towards a homebirth.  The client becomes the patient of the doctor of consult they are working with and will give birth in the hospital. 

 The only reason I ended up giving birth in the hospital with Ronnie was because he came just 5 days before I was 37 weeks along.  The state law in TN requires that homebirth midwives cannot deliver before 37 weeks.  So I am praying this baby will stay in a little longer than Ronnie did.  I really do want to have my homebirth experience this time.  It would be so great to be able to labor in my own home and have the freedom to get in the tub if I want, to walk around or change positions freely.  No monitors to strap on to my belly, not having to lay on my back to push, and not having a room full of strangers watching me push my baby out.  Just us, with the midwives, at home.  Sounds great to me!

29 weeks

This photo is of me with my new found local "crunchy" Christian mama friend Mandy. :)  We met at a park with our kids (and her hubby) this afternoon.  After letting the kids play a bit, we took a nice walk on the trail.  For exercise, and to try to help get her labor started.  She is 40 weeks this week.  And not long after our walk, she posted on Facebook that she thinks her water broke.  So that is awesome and I look forward to hearing her birth story!  She is using the same homebirth midwives that I am using.

So today I am 29 weeks along, and still amazed at how fast this pregnancy is going.  I don't know if I mentioned in my last update that I got heartburn a while back, but I've been taking an herbal aloe vera juice daily (recommended to me by Mandy!) and it has worked!  Lily of the Desert Herbal Stomach Formula. Found at Whole Foods or many health food stores.  Safe for pregnancy and very effective for heartburn.  I highly recommend it to any pregnant mama with heartburn.

I had a prenatal visit with one of my midwives last week.  Baby's heartbeat sounded good, my blood pressure was good, and no edema.  Baby was laying posterior though, and I think he/she still is.  That would explain the very strong jabs all over my belly since baby is facing forward and I am feeling feet, knees, elbows, hands, etc.  Pretty wild!  I am still early enough though to not be concerned about baby's position.  After all, baby is about 2 1/2 pounds at this point, and can move around a lot yet.

I go for my next midwife appointment next week.  I am going every 2 weeks now until I reach 36 weeks, then I'll go every week until baby is born.  The biggest thing I would like to have ready for baby before he/she is born is newborn sized cloth diapers.  I borrowed Kissaluvs size 0 when I had Ronnie, and I loved those!  But I never had a chance to buy any.  A friend is lending me 9 pairs of newborn diapers, but I need more.  So that is my most important goal to try to reach if possible.  And to have some girl clothes on hand just in case this baby is a girl.  I am all set with boy stuff. :)

Speaking of baby's sex, many people have been asking me if I have any feelings about what sex this baby is.  I did with Ronnie, I was certain I was having a boy.  So I was not surprised when he was born to see that he was in fact a boy!  But this time I'm not so sure.  I think part of it is I don't want to guess and be wrong.  I have no idea why I feel I would disappoint myself?? That is dumb, but maybe that is why I've just not thought much about it.  But since everyone assumes this baby is a girl because we have a boy already, I am going to guess that its another boy and they are all wrong!  LOL!!!!

You are glowing!!!

I have heard that comment twice this past week. The first time was from Ron's mom via e-mail after she saw the photo of Ronnie and I (posted below), and the second time was from our pastor at church yesterday. So if two people said it, I guess it must be true! I've always heard that women will have that "glow" about them while pregnant, and I've seen it on others. But I never really paid attention to it myself to see if I have that "glow" going on. I do feel really good, and I really enjoy being pregnant. I know some women have a very hard time with pregnancy; they are sick the whole time, or have other health issues come up. And I feel sorry for them that they are not able to just enjoy this special time of life. I am very grateful to God that I am able to have good health during my pregnancy's and just enjoy this special time of awe and wonder as God creates this precious new life inside my womb.

Psalm 139:13-16

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Meanings of the womb

Here are a few different words that are all other ways to describe the womb.  I received this in an e-mail newsletter from Nancy Campbell who has the Above Rubies ministry.

"house of life"
"nesting place"
"palace of a child" (This is what it means in Chinese)
"sanctuary"
"the secret place" (from Psalm 139:15)
"cradle of the unborn"
"God's creative workshop"

Me at 27 weeks, Ronnie at 20 months

I feel HUGE today!  Wow!  This belly (and butt and hips) is just getting bigger and bigger, and my maternity jeans are getting tighter and tighter!  I'm going to have to get some larger sized pants!

My prayer now is that this baby will hang on at least 10 more weeks so I can have my homebirth this time.  I was 5 days short with Ronnie, so I need to make it!  Now watch, I'll go past my EDD this time.  LOL!!!  And if I do, I am going to be SO huge I cannot even imagine.  God, give me the strength to handle this growing belly, butt, and hips for the next 10 to 15 weeks!  Whew!

26 week belly photos

Michelle asked for them, so here you go! :)

26 week prenatal visit

I went for my monthly prenatal visit today.  Blood pressure was excellent, baby's heartbeat was 152 and we heard some kicks on the doppler too.  My belly measured low at 21cm, but that is because baby was laying transverse today.  No swelling, just a tad on the ankles, but that is normal.  I do need to work on my water intake, that is the toughest thing for me.  And I need to kick the sugar, I have gotten way off track with this pregnancy.

I also got heartburn at 2:00am last night, that is the first time with this pregnancy.  Heartburn only hit me at the very end last time, so I didn't deal with it much.  I have been miserable with it all day!  So I got some Lily of the Desert Aloe Vera juice, the Herbal Stomach Formula.  I also picked up some papaya enzyme chewable tablets, basically the natural version of Tums. Hopefully these two things will help control it, I still have 3 months to go!

I got a free glucose meter over the weekend, so I can monitor my blood sugar through the rest of my pregnancy. So far it has been excellent, so I am happy with that.

I will start going to the midwives every 2 weeks now.  I go back at 28 weeks for a blood draw to test my iron (I think?) and to see if my blood has built any antibodies to baby's blood.  I am O neg and if this baby has O pos blood, and some of it mixes with mine, then my blood will attack baby's, and that is not good.  Ronnie is O pos, so after he was born I had a Rhogam shot to keep my blood from building antibodies to O pos blood.  But, we have to test my blood now just incase baby's blood may have mixed with mine in utero.  I'd rather be safe then sorry!

25 weeks

Big belly!  LOL!!

24 weeks 1 day

This photo above is a baby that was delivered at 24 weeks. So this give you an idea of how big/small our baby is right now inside my belly.  Absolutely amazing!!  No wonder I am feeling so much movement and some rather strong kicks, look at those long legs!  I am just continually amazed at how fast a baby grows in just 9 months time.  And that even when delivered at this early stage, sometimes they can make it, thanks to our technology.

According to the Baby Center e-mail I received yesterday, baby weighs just over a pound now and is about a foot long from head to foot.   Pretty much everything is developed for the most part, now baby will start to fill out and gain weight.  Which means mama will too! :)

First born

Here you go mommies - a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about your first born! Just copy and paste it in a new note for yourself!

1. WAS YOUR PREGNANCY PLANNED? Absolutely.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes.

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? I was VERY excited!

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Never was and never will be.

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 33

HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? I was charting my cycles and the day I was supposed to get my period I didn’t, so I took a test and it was positive.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Ron via e-mail since he was traveling, and then some internet friends.

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Nope, and we still don’t find out!

9. DUE DATE? 7/17/07

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? I was nauseous but I never actually got sick.

WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Hard to remember much, watermelon towards the end is all I can think of.

12. WHAT IRRITATED YOU? I don’t remember feeling irritated by anything particular.

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Boy

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? Nope, I was thrilled for him to be a boy.

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? About 25lbs.

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? 2

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? The one up in Michigan was planned, the one at work was supposed to be a surprise, but I found out.

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Not at all.

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? It was supposed to be at home with our midwife, but since my water broke 5 days before I was 37 weeks, I had to deliver in the hospital. Centennial Hospital in Nashville.

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? Well, it was 7 hours from when my water broke until he was born, but active labor was only 2 hours long.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? I rode with my midwife in her van and Ron followed us in the car.

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Ron, my midwife (who was a doula in the hospital setting), Dr. Wilters, my nurse, and then a bunch of other nurse/staff people who I was hardly even aware of during that time.

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural birth

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Nope, nothing.

25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 6lbs, 9ozs

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? June 21, 2007 at 7:40pm

30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Ronnie Gerald DePew III

23 weeks

I always intend to have Ron take photos of my belly more often, but we both just forget about it.  Then tonight as I sit here on the computer,  I had an "ah ha" moment when I remembered that we have Photo Booth here on the iMac where I can take photos of myself while at the computer!  Perfect!  So here is my belly tonight at 23 weeks 2 days.  Just plugging right along!  Baby moves alot and I love it!

20 weeks tomorrow

Here are some belly shots on the eve of 20 weeks.  Good grief this belly is bigger than it was during my first pregnancy at this stage!  Baby is rockin' and rolling in there, I love it!

19 weeks already??

Where does the time go??  Baby is now about 6 inches long and weighs about 8.5 ounces.  Amazing!  I am feeling baby move more frequently and a lot stronger!  I love it!  Feeling the baby move is my favorite part of being pregnant.  It is a special bonding time for baby and me before we even meet face to face.  I was thinking of writing out some sort of poem about it.  If I do, I will post it here to share.  Here is a photo of what a baby looks like at 19 week gestation.  It is so amazing!