Daddy Nesting

We all know about pregnant women going through the nesting phase, especially getting a surge right before their due date, but has anyone experienced daddy-nesting?  I had no idea until I watched Josh buzz around the house like a manic person for DAYS, even going into the weeks after Becket's birth.  It was kind of hysterical, but a little intense!  I was tied to the bed trying to nurse and finger feed Becket and on bed rest to heal from labor, so watching him run around at full speed not taking breaks or taking care of himself while I sat helpless was making me a little stressed. Things mamas think of don't come into perspective for dads until they see their precious bundle exposed to the world.  Josh was vacuuming our walls at one point... And no, we don't have a 70's basement as our apartment ;)

Our Birth Story

Becket's birth day

Friday 4/11/14 at  3:50pm

8lb 9oz, 21in long, 14in head, my fabulous baby boy!

Thursday 4/10/14:
Thursday morning I had my standard OB appointment with Dr. Kochenburger and he reported I was 50% effaced, 2cm dilated and at 0 station (all those details in previous post).  Everyone in our house figured I wouldn't deliver until after my due date... I just didn't know.  I was unsure since I felt great, but was just tired of waiting, lol.  So for fun, we decided that this night would be a good night to have Zachary's pizza, famous for inducing labor with their signature stuffed spinach and mushroom pizza (we get pepperoni baked on top) Mmmm... Couldn't hurt right? :)

Friday 4/11/14:
3:30am - I woke up with a mild to medium cramp and thought "hrm..."  and then another one.  "Ok, this might be early labor, we'll hang here and see"
4:15am - had first contraction - "Yes, this is definitely a contraction, no mistaking it!"  So I woke Josh up and said so.  He started timing them so we could know where we stood and when to call Pearl.  They were 3 minutes apart.  What?!  Maybe we aren't timing these right...   From 4:14am - 6am they were pretty much 3 minutes apart, with the exception of 2 "breaks", one was a 5 min one was a 6 min apart contraction, and they were definitely intense.  I was not walking around, talking or able to be distracted through them.  I really couldn't believe they were really 3 minutes apart and didn't want to wake Pearl before 6am so we held out.  At about 6:00 Josh called Pearl and she said she was on her way.  Our midwife's apprentice, Ellen lives nearby so she arrived shortly and Pearl was there a little before 9am.  I overheard them tell Josh this was their 3rd birth that week... (Why did I get the tired crew?! I thought, Lol).  Pearl checked me and said "you've been doing a lot of work! 9cm!"  Holy crap that was fast! ...and then... it wasn't.  I stayed that way for many hours, mostly in the fetal position on our bed squeezing the life out of Josh's hand and trying to drink water, coconut water and a smoothie as they encouraged me so I could keep up my energy.  I kept my eyes shut for about 95% of the birth just trying to get through each contraction.  We didn't get the tub full enough before we lost hot water and by the time we had more hot water we didn't bother, I just got in the shower and had Josh use the shower head on my low back while I labored.  Then it was back to the bed.  As labor moved along and into more intense, bare-down contractions, I labored over the yoga ball for a while.

Within 2 hours his head had changed shape

As it got to be about 2:00-ish?  (I had NO concept of time)... It was time to push, but little Bean's head was still cocked a bit and he was still somewhat turned on his side. His favorite sleeping position as we later discover!  Pushing was obviously intense and at one point I was able to feel his head.  It felt so tiny!  (Thank GOD no one told me differently or I would not have been able to keep pushing, ha!!). Finally I needed to go squat by the side of the bed with my arms wrapped over Josh's thighs for support and I pushed 3 times or so and out came Bean!   Looking down his head was a giant watermelon and he was a little blue.  Josh and I both thought I gave birth to an Indian God at first ;). We couldn't see around Pearl as she was giving him air so we didn't know the sex and then... Yep, ha!  I KNEW it!!  Told ya'll ;)

The second he was born, those hours of pain and exhaustion were just... done, gone.  I mean I was definitely tired, but the flood of hormones made me feel so serene and relaxed it was quite amazing.  There was a very love-hazed hour or so that he laid on my chest as I got a few stitches and then Pearl & Ellen left us alone for a bit.  I passed him over to Josh so he could have some skin to skin cuddles and we just watched him, thinking we could stare at him forever!  About 7:00pm, Pearl came back in to do the cord, which Josh got to cut, and did his weight, measurements and another round of the APGAR test.  Ellen inspected the placenta to make sure it all had come out ok and then wrapped it up to take with her to prepare my placenta pills.  Before she did, they put a small bit into a smoothie for me and Josh was intrigued enough to try a small piece!  You'll have to ask him what he thought ;)

What Are The Benefits Of Placenta Encapsulation?

It is believed that consuming the placenta can:

• Help to balance your hormones
• Replenish depleted iron levels
• Assist the uterus to return to its pre-pregnancy state
• Reduce post-natal bleeding
• Increase milk production – this has been proven in a study
• Make for a happier, more enjoyable post-natal period
• Increase your energy levels
• Read More: Click Here

In hind sight, without having a prior birth experience without taking placenta pills to compare to, I'd have to say that all of the above are true for me, except helping my milk production, but that is a whole other issue due to my breast reduction surgery about 12 years ago.

Bean is Moving Along!

Week 39

For over a week now, we've been advised for me to do some exercises to help Bean shift a little in his/her positioning.  Currently Bean is head down and sideways facing my upper-tummy right (so his back is a little too much towards my back) and we eventually want him facing my back with her back to my tummy.  It is not a bad position and it is very common for babies to roll into good position right before being born.  However, they might not and it's not the most comfortable thing to have your midwife or OB help them roll so I've heard.  My girlfriend down the street had the exact same positioning and highly recommended I do my exercises to hopefully avoid needing assistance.  Again, not the end of the world, but why wouldn't I want to avoid any extra discomfort?? So I've been having Josh massage the tight muscles and ligaments on my left hip and thigh area before laying at an upside down angle once or twice a day and also doing "cat-cow" movements once a day.  At first, being upside down on the plank was really not comfortable.  The pressure on my low back and shoulders was intense as well as having all of Bean's weight shifted right under my ribs and on my lungs.  I usually lasted about 5 minutes and was not very relaxed.  With a few tweaks from Josh, the angle adjusted and some pillow work we found a very pleasant position and I can now breath normal, relax and hang out for quite a while.  I usually only do about 10-12 minutes.  We think Bean twists a bit more, but definitely moves back to his favorite spot.  Hoping this means he's got the wiggle room and isn't stuck, just prefers her little spot.

My weekly midwife visit was Tuesday and uneventful, lol.  I'm doing and feeling pretty great, Bean's heart rate is good, my blood pressure is good, no swelling, no Braxton-Hicks, sleeping well for the most part and taking it easy these days.   Josh has tentative plans to go on a beer tasting tour with his mentor next Wednesday.  I told him that's when Bean will come.  ha!  I told Bean he/she should come Saturday.  We'll see!

OBGYN appointment was today (Wednesday) and much of the same except he gives me a quick dilation check while I'm there, which means nothing since women walk around up to 4cm for a few weeks sometimes, but it's fun to find out and also good to know my body is doing what it needs to do.  So last visit, 2 weeks ago I was just 1.5cm dilated.  Today I am 2cm dilated plus 50% effaced and Bean is at 0-station.  I am completely content with this process of no contractions and no discomfort all while dilating and effacing, ha!  What all that means for those who haven't gone through this already:

Effacement:  While you are pregnant, your cervix is usually around 2 to 3 cm long. In late pregnancy or early labor, Braxton Hicks' practice contractions start to shorten the cervix, a process known as effacement. Most women have a cervix that has shortened to 1 cm during the very early stages of labor. This is also referred to as 50 percent effaced. As the cervix continues to shorten, the cervix is gradually drawn up by the uterus, and by the time it is 100 percent effaced, the cervix will have started to open.

Dilation: Once your cervix is stretched and softened, it begins to open, or dilate, so that your baby can pass through into the vagina to be born. Regular contractions cause the cervix to dilate, and in first labors the cervix dilates at an average of 1 cm per hour; this rate is often faster for subsequent labors. Here, at 2 cm dilation, the cervix has shortened and is beginning to open. Contractions may still be irregular.  Once you reach 6cm you are in active labor and at 10cm are fully dilated and ready to push.

The Station: The "station" refers to the position of your baby's head in relation to your pelvis. This is recorded as a number between -5 and +5. Zero station means the head is "engaged" and has entered the vaginal canal within the pelvic bones. A negative number (-5 to 0) means that the head isn't engaged in the pelvis. A positive number (0 to +4) means that your baby's head is moving down the pelvis and +5 means your baby is crowning (being born). Ideally, you should not push until the head is engaged in the pelvis, even if you're fully dilated.

"Sleepy Dust"

I ran across this natural sleep remedy and though of many of my friends who complain about having trouble sleeping or waking in the middle of the night.  Josh sometimes goes through phases where he will wake for an hour or two and I was hoping to get him or someone to try this!  The article explains why it works and sounds pretty interesting so I've been curious.  Finally, my friend Andrea gave it a try and posted on Facebook that it worked!
I've never had much trouble with sleep, sometimes falling asleep can take me a bit, but once I'm out, I can get up and go to the bathroom, have some water and go right back to sleep.  Until my third trimester...  Around 8 months I found I couldn't just go back to sleep after a bathroom break, my mind would start thinking about stuff.  This started right after Andrea had successfully tried my sleep dust solution which I had yet to use myself.  LOVE!  What a super cheap, easy and healthy option to help get back to sleep!  I keep a little saki cup on my night stand and just dip my finger in and place a bit under my tongue before I lay down again from one of my bathroom breaks and switching positions.  I have no more trouble going back to sleep, it's wonderful!  Also, rapadura sugar is easy to find in stores like Whole Foods, not sure where to find the other kind listed in this recipe.  Andrea noted she just used all regular sugar and said it worked too, so feel free to give that a try!  Who doesn't have salt and sugar on hand?

 

http://butterbeliever.com/how-to-fall-back-asleep/

Getting Prepared for Our Home Birth

The Tuesday after my baby shower was our home visit and check up with Pearl and Ellen her apprentice.  We gave them the tour and they said our home was a lovely place for a birth :)  We reviewed the supplies and talked about when to call her and then they did my usual check up.   I had just inquired whether Pearl thought it was still ok for me to go up to Sacramento for our cousin Abi's baby shower and she thought it should be but we'd talk and see how I felt later that week just to be sure... then she felt Bean's head quite a bit lower than last week and also noted my slightly increased blood pressure (normal once baby drops) and changed her mind.  She wasn't super concerned that Bean would arrive this early, but with Josh unable to go with me I did not want to risk being 2 hours away from my midwife AND Josh so I had to call and let Abi know I'd be missing her shower.
Pearl is loaning us the birth tub so we just needed to buy a hose, shower attachment, tub liner and some other minor supplies.  Before Mom left she helped me get everything checked off the birth supply list, things like 12 receiving blankets, 6 towels,  12 wash cloths (or cloth diapers), bath mat, zip lock bags, garbage bags, paper towels, hydrogen peroxide, witch hazel, etc.  Josh also tested the tub to be sure it didn't have leaks and fit well in our room and I made a Birth Plan sheet with phone numbers, signs of early & active labor, when to call Pearl, things to do once early labor starts, etc. and it's on the fridge so anyone who is home with me at the time can have the info handy.  I think we are ready... on the supply and info front that is!  I'm still feeling pretty surreal about the whole giving birth thing.

More Baby Shower Pictures

Courtesy of my cousin-in-law Amy!

Diaper Cake from Amy - SO CUTE!

Custom Made for Bean!

I'm so proud of the Banner I made ;)

Representing East Bay!

Neighbor Wallace introducing himself to Britt's son Nate

"Oakland Population add 1" :)

Our friend's shop - James & The Giant Cupcake!  I was in heaven.

Practical and wonderful gifts from everyone!

Itty bitty Old Navy Socks and some cute onsies

The Poms were one of my favorite decorations, but WAY prettier in person

Baby Shower!

My favorite outfit!

Me 37 weeks, Abi 35 weeks?

Mom arrived Thursday morning and after having lunch we got straight to work on our daily list of errands and to-do's to get ready for the baby shower on Sunday.  If it weren't for my swelling and achy feet I'm sure it wouldn't have taken every single day to get everything done.  Had she not come in time to help with the errands and some of the crafty, tiny details, I would have been so stressed and would have not had any fun trying to pull off the party.  Beth was a lifesaver as well.  The home projects she got accomplished helped pave the way for moving and organizing stuff around the house and she even sat down with my Mom and I for a few minutes and managed to tie all the thank you cards to my gift jars before going out with friends for the evening!  Poor Josh was a trooper as well, working SO much and during what little free time he had he helped with the things we needed him to, like moving furniture and plants and hanging paper poms from the ceiling, his favorite thing I'm sure.  Josh's Mom made several dishes for the party, came early to helps set up and my good friend and fabulous cook Andrea was in charge of 3 of the 4 mini sandwiches we served, all phenomenally good!  I was so grateful to have such teamwork help pull my baby shower together!  I haven't had a wedding or a bridal shower so this party was a first for me, something I was really looking forward too and I am so happy it came together so nicely!  Like any good event, the only downside was that it went too fast!!   And you would never believe... I forgot to take ANY pictures!!  Thank goodness for my cousin-in-law Amy who snapped a few of the decorations (not before people had dove into the food, but I don't care!) and some of me opening gifts.  She's going to email them to me as soon as she can.   My other cousin-in-law Abi came for the shower and we had a picture of us taken, the last one we took was at Christmas and now we are both getting so close to our due dates!   Here are just a few I got before and after:

Coconut-Lime Sugar Scrub Gifts

My favorite, but all the flowers were so lovely!

Banner I made for gift table

Need a few more special people to fill out!