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!!