Introducing Jonah Blue

Born via cesarean section February 9th 2007, 9:58 AM weighing 8.05 pounds.

Belly at 38 weeks 5 days

Here's the last belly shot before baby gets here. It's not the best comparison to the earlier shots but it will have to do.


Looking forward to sharing new adventures with you in the coming weeks and months. Thanks for all the notes of support :)

I've got my last few things on order and in route or planned (just to help myself keep them straight here they are):

Area rug -- arrived this afternoon
Shades for windows -- on order, should be done by end of next week from Lowe's
Diaper pins and fasteners -- on order from local WAHM
Changing pad for changing table -- coming Thursday from BabyCenter
Infant Carseat Frame -- in place of stroller coming next week
Bottles -- Sassy Mam, coming next week
Baby socks -- my partner got them this evening at Gap

I've got my cloth diapers, breast pump, diapering accessories, sorted out.

I need to finish up packing my bag for the hospital, though I'll have to do some more laundry as there isn't much that's comfortable that fits right now. We'll take one more belly shot before we go in.


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My partner went all out and laid out the new area rug in the baby's room this evening. He kept saying afterwards -- Instant baby's room -- though honestly it's taken a good 7 weeks to get it to where it is now. It's feeling pretty ready for us now though and I'm comfortable in it and looking forward to getting to bond with baby boy in it.

I'll have to see about getting a post up here over the weekend if I can. Still, I can't believe I'm about to become a mother.

Diaper Delivery Today

As I have mentioned previously, we are going to try our hand at cloth diapering. It will have its challenges I'm sure, but we don't really like the idea of adding disposable diapers to the landfill (you use something like 10-12 diapers a day with a newborn!)

I signed up with the local diaper service for a month, and then we can decide if we want to continue with that for a while longer or shift over into our own stash of diapers.
Cloth diapering has come a long way in the past 10 years, there are new microfiber options that keep baby dry and can be reused. Pretty fancy stuff. We're just starting out with cotton diapers and diaper covers made from new materials.

This morning the diaper service dropped off the first lot of diapers and a diaper pail, maybe not that exciting for you but for me it's one more thing crossed off the list.



Earlier in the week I was able to find someone selling diaper covers through Craigslist. It's really common to buy these items used and they are in fine condition -- half price for the lot, not bad.

I've also got a bunch of diaper creams, cotton, etc. I just need a changing pad and diaper fasteners and we're good to go. Phew!

My Delivery Plans

I'm going to have my partner and sister (a doula in training, she just needs to attend more births as a doula) at the delivery. My OB did mention it was partly up to the anaesthesiologist how many people we have in the room though. I'm thinking it will work out how I'd like though.

My doctor said he would lower the drape when they are going to pull baby out if I like. He said that the baby will stay in the room with us the entire time after the delivery (provided there aren't any issues needing extra care for him). My partner isn't interested in cutting the cord he has told me.

Actually my partner is rather liking the idea that he's going to be the first one to interact much with our baby boy. He tells me he's going to take him off to the side and get to know him and name him and eventually I'll get to be introduced. I think he knows that it's not totally up to him how it goes, and we will try to offer the breast to the baby soon after delivery.

I worry that trying to figure out nursing and the new baby with too many visitors is going to be a little overwelming. I'll probably be in the hospital for a few days, but my inclination is to send out an email to friends and family ahead of time letting them know what my expectations were about visitors. I just have a feeling that with my temperment I'm going to need some room to be able to figure out how to care for my baby without additional outside pressure and expectations.

For anyone reading who is also going to have a planned cesarean, The Essential C-Section Guide is a helpful book to read as it will run you through the paces of what to expect including breastfeeding post surgery.

My partner has struggled a little with the idea that my sister and mother will be included in the delivery and post-partum period (my mom's coming for 3 weeks and she's soooo excited about her first grandchild's arrival) but for me it just feels right. After talking to him more about it, and him talking with other female friends who have children, he's come to see that having a grandmother's help is a good thing, even if they might drive you a little crazy in the meantime. For me I feel like it helps take all the pressure off of me to have extra hands to help mother our baby boy -- and hopefully it will let me rest and heal better.

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Changing the topic slightly, the doctor's office called and my test results came back great. I tested negative for Strep B, my ferritin had jumped up from 7 in November to 13, and my hematocrit was up from 31 to 35.7. The nurse said that compared to many other woman at this late stage in pregnancy my blood work looked great. Its nice to know that taking all the vitamins is helping. I just wanted to be sure that things were looking okay prior to going in for surgery next week.

37 Week OB Visit

I had my appointment with my doctor today. The nurse claimed she tried to reach me a few times but all I got was one message. My c-section has been scheduled though, for 9:30 am on Friday 2/9. One more thing out of the way.

My blood pressure was good, urine test clear, I gained another 6 pounds but that's still only about 30 pounds gain total. I got a surprise check today. The hospital requires a strep B test for all women so I got swapped down below. The doctor also checked my cervix, which is softened but not dialated at all and the baby's head is down there but ballotable (he's not engaged or fully pressing down on the cervix yet).

I asked pointedly if we should be checking on my anemia and he agreed (hey, I don't think someone with a history of anemia should be going into surgery without a good sense of where its at beforehand). So that's out with the strep B and I guess I'll have some results later this week or something.

Lots of braxton-hicks this morning, and some achiness in my low pelvis, something feels like it is banging into my cervix, probaby the kid's head or hand or something.

While I was in the restroom my partner ran into a friend of ours, she asked if he was there because we were expecting. Later I joked with him that he should have said that he was there for his own gynecological appointment (hehe). She's expecting as well and has been on bedrest for weeks due to cervical thinning issues but she made it to 26 weeks so far which is great.

My next appointment will be on Monday and then we'll deliver on Friday. Finally we are really in the home stretch.

No word back from the doctor's office -- I'm going to talk to him on Monday about how disappointed I am to be neglected in this manner at this late stage. I called in 5 times over the past week and all I got back was one message with a couple of times on my home phone from a nurse or something. Totally unacceptable. My friend said last night that this was how my pg could be like a natural delivery -- you just never know when its going to happen.

I got through the work week, and finally got a bit more rest Wed and Thurs nights. No more going into the office for a while.

My big things this week are (mine you my partner is going to be helping with many of these things):

• Get windows repaired in baby's room (Sun)


• Get infant car seat installed in my car


• Baby shower tomorrow afternoon (I just know I'm going to cry)


• Color my hair (since it's going to be a while before I can do it again)


• Arrange for moving a sofa from my house to the office


• Work on finding a pediatrician


• Order some Prowrap diaper covers and Snappis (for the cloth diapers, due for delivery next week)


• Get furniture moved back into baby's room from guest room


• Move boxes of my books into my office out of the hall


• Order new mattress for guest room bed so my mother won't hate me when she comes to stay and help out (it's a really crappy mattress that I bought when I was 23 and had no money)


• Tidy up around the house (including washing the kitchen floor)

And when I'm not keeping busy with all that I've got knitting and work to keep me busy.

36 week Belly Shot

Yes, I'm still growing. Baby feels like he's definately starting to run out of room in there. I can't believe how much he has grown since December when he was all small and flipping around. Now all he has room to do is kick his legs a bit and rotate side to side. I do feel him more down by my bladder now as well.



I've not been sleeping well at over for the past 2.5 weeks. I wake up at 5am almost every day. Sometimes I have a hard time going to sleep, sometimes I just have a hard time sleeping for longer than 3 hours at a time. My last day in the office will be tomorrow, after that I'll work some from home but mostly rest and take care of my remaining to-dos, like trying to get a pediatrician, something I haven't had time to do.

We've been busy at work on the nursery and house today. Things are still a mess from the work that we've been doing, and I'm not going to be able to do much more, yet baby's going to be here possibly on Feb 8th, maybe sooner.

I've been shopping online at drugstore.com for various nursing and baby care items. Its easier on me to just have them delivered. I still haven't decided on an nursingwear, but I figure I'll just deal with that when I know how big my boobs are going to get and what not.

I'm also going through the baby clothes we have in the house and I'm going to be doing some laundry today to have the smallest outfits ready. I still can't believe we are going to have a baby. I've spent more time around puppies and kittens so I'm trying to prepare myself for that instead -- at least I can relate to it. My partner raised a rainbow lorikeet (a type of parrot) from a baby so he's thinking of leveraging some of that to get himself ready.

We're both getting more and more tired and grouchy. My hips hurt when I sleep at night so I have to roll back and forth all night long, and then get up a few times to go pee. It's not very restful. Oh, and the past couple of weeks its gotten harder to walk when I do get up in the middle of the night, my hips just feel all weird. What happened to my dancer-trained body? Will I ever get it back? It's so strange to feel these changes in my body.

I'm feeling better this morning. Overnight I was still uncomfortable but not contracting hardly at all.

I had a project launching for a client, a photoshoot, and some other deliverables due at work this week and I worked longer hours (just more like 8 hours a day instead of 6 that I've been trying to do). I also caught a cold from my partner that my body has been fighting. And then I think I just wasn't drinking enough water this week. I'm going to rest this weekend and drink a ton of water and hopefully that will get me sorted out.

I didn't like that experience at all. Baby seemed fine, though annoyed by the contractions.

At the end of the work day I started feeling really hot and this sensation like I'm gonna die (not really but occasionally I'lve just feel that way throughout the pg). I had just drank two pints of water, and I think I've been behind on my water intake overall. I started having contractions. Not just one but about 10 in an hour. Because I had gotten all hot and flushed feeling I knew that I was pushing myself too much. I had to wait a little while for my partner to finish up at work as he was in a team meeting but we came home and I drank more water and got in bed. I felt so lousy, sort of like period cramps and my body didn't easy settle down like it does. I did sleep for about an hour and a half easily then got up and ate dinner.

As I had a headache and still felt weird I decided to call the doc about it. The on-call doc called back and said probably it wasn't labor but I explained that I'm not supposed to go into labor. He was saying that typically they would deliver someone post myomectomy (fibroid surgery) at 37.5 weeks and do an amnio to check for lung maturity -- which is earlier than my doc and I have talked about and he hasn't even mentioned the amnio. At any rate, he said that I can see how I feel over night, and if I want just call back and I can go into triage at the hospital and they will take a look at me and the baby to see how we are doing. He said at where I am now (just finishing 35 weeks) they wouldn't try to stop labor if I started -- but then again, I'm not supposed to be in labor.

I got my partner to stay home tonight instead of going out. His friends are going to come over and hang out downstairs so I'm just going to knit in our attic (the other hangout spot in the house). I just didn't want to be left alone.

I'll let you know how I'm feeling -- either in the morning or overnight.

Here's what I do have:

* a bunch of baby undershirts and onesies;
* my first month's cloth diaper delivery scheduled and paid for,
* a basinette (in need of some sheets -- or else I'll just wrap the mattress in some flannel I bought)
* a bunch of handknit items.
* a car seat (Graco SnugRide) that's still not installed
* a fleece pouch
* a bunch of receiving blankets and a swaddler.

I'm counting on breastfeeding working out as I don't have any bottles or anything purchased on that end. I'll be in the hospital for 3-4 days after my c/s so I can use a hospital pump if I need to and we can arrange for whatever as we need to from there - right?

My partner is freaking about my mother coming for a few weeks around and after the delivery. Between my parents and his mother we'll have visitors for a month. I feel okay about having my mother there. I think she will be helpful, we don't always agree on things but she's not overbearing and she will make sure I eat and sleep. Having been through 2 m/cs and abdominal surgery with my partner, I can't say the same for him. I love him dearly but I want to make sure that I'm being looked after so I'm not totally stressed out in the early weeks.

I put a call into my OB's office earlier but he was out today so no word yet on when my c-section will be.

I'm up in the middle of the night. I was tossing and turning, my hips were aching and I was sweating. My body's been fighting a cold that my partner caught. He's had it worse than I thankfully, but like when I've caught other colds over the past 5 months, my joints in my legs just ache and ache.

I'm starting to get nervous about the baby coming. I don't know when my c/s will be but it's less than 3 weeks away. I worry that I don't have enough "stuff" that I will need when he comes and that I won't be easily be able to go get it. My mother's so excited about coming to help out, but my partner is freaking out that she will be here for a few weeks. I went through my abdominal surgery and the 2 m/cs with him though and I know that I'll get better care if my parents are around -- they will cook and make sure that I have everything I need. (remember how my partner had band practice even when I was in m/c labor at home ) He's a really awesome guy, but I recognize his limits. He's super excited about the baby coming and I know that they are going to have a great relationship -- but the early weeks are about ME (right?)

I've had two big BH contractions tonight, and one other when I got up before -- within a 2 hours period. Hopefully I just need to drink more water. They really don't want me to go into labor at all b/c my risk of uterine rupture is that much higher b/c of my fibroid surgery. It's weird to have gone through this whole pg with everything going pretty easy and then now in the final weeks to find myself in the high-risk group. It wasn't really a concern before now though, I just have to avoid labor.

I had my OB appt this morning. Finally the doc is starting to pay more attention to my risk of uterine rupture (due to prior uterine surgery to remove a large fibroid) so while I have the c/s scheduled for 2/15 they might move it up a week -- maybe more. He's going to consult with some other practioners to get their input and I directed him to speak with my RE who did the surgery who is located in the same building as he.

For some reason the prospect of the baby coming sooner is just making me feel stressed. My partner said its time for the kid to get out of there and for me to get my body back -- he says he doesn't like seeing me not be able to move around as easily.

I'm trying to take deep breaths, a little qi gong even, to try to calm me down.

Nursing/Breastfeeding Links

I'm still researching this topic but breastfeeding supplies and clothing are definately things I need to figure out before I need them -- at least some basics. Plus some of my online friends have been bugging me to share anything that I've come across about nursingwear -- so in order to appease my adoring public, here's what I know ;)

From reading discussions online it seems like:

• nursing pads are helpful, to protect you from advertising when you are leaking in public


• that breasts get larger when your milk comes in


• that bebe-au-lait style nursing covers aren't that well appreciated by baby after a while (they want to see what's going on)


• that you have to factor in for staining on any garments you wear with baby around


• underwires can contribute to conditions that invite mastitis


• that renting a hospital-grade breast pump can be worth it


• that pacifiers and bottles can cause some nipple confusion in the newborn and are best left until after breastfeeding is well established (if used at all)


• that breastfeeding after a c-section might be a slightly more challenging due to the interference of the meds but it might just require some alternate positioning


• that breastfeeding hurts many women in the early weeks but if you soldier on it will get easier (just watch out for proper latching to help prevent some of the pain cause)

You know me though, I've been bookmarking sites for the years it's taken me to get pregnant so of course I have a stash of breastfeeding links as well.

General Breastfeeding Links

How Does Milk Production Work -- learn about lactogenesis

KellyMom.com - well regarded breastfeeding information site

La Leche League Breastfeeding Links

Breastfeeding After a Cesarean

Frequently asked questions about Pregnancy and Nursing -- an page from a site that's all about cutting back on your sugar/refined carbs. It has some interesting points and ideas about balancing your blood sugar and beta-endrophin hormone level (I worry that I'm going to crash big time after delivery since I've been so much less moody during my pregnancy -- this page says that while I'm nursing this can continue though)

Nursing Wear

Motherwear

Nursing Bras Sizing Tips

Glamourmom -- breastfeeding tank tops

Milkface Nursingwear

One Hot Mama - Nursing & Maternity

Mother's Milk Boutique

Bella Materna -- nursing wear and maternity

Mommy Gear - Breastfeeding apparel and supplies

Bebe-au-Lait

Expressiva Nursingwear

Bravado! Designs -- nursingwear

Milkdudz -- Nursingwear

EvaLillian - maternity and nursing clothing

Miscellaneous Breastfeeding and Related Links

United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) - working collaboratively to protect, promote and support breastfeeding

An Investigation of the Factors Influencing Breastfeeding Patterns (PDF)- a dissertation by Alison Jacknowitz

Treatment of bovine mastitis with medicinal herbs and acupuncture -- when I search about mastitis (or even many fertility topics in general about ovulation induction, hormone levels, etc.) I often come across links related to animal husbandry -- there's an economic incentive for the research in this area (as opposed to for humans). I was looking for one about acu and mastitis and this was the best link I came across.

Normal Breasts Gallery -- a fascinating page of shots of the different shapes and sizes of women's breasts, including latating mothers and post-breastfeeding as well

And for pure entertainment value we bring you the Boob Stand video clip

Preparing the house for baby

Our whole house is in a state of upheaval. It started out with some books and clothes that needing to be donated to charity and haven't yet made it out of the house. Then it expanded to painting the baby's room which involved packing up my art studio into boxes lining the upstairs hallway. Then we ordered a new sofa with a sofa bed and my partner indulged in a new flatscreen TV so that he would want to hang out downstairs with the baby more when he arrives. That involves relocating a bunch of furniture around the house so right now the entire living room, which is two rooms together, is a wreck. I've got some of our baby things in the diningroom since the guest room is going to hold some more of the furnishings of the baby's room while we get the floor refinished this week. I also have to take down the Christmas tree but everything in the livingroom is in the way.

My partner decided that he needed to finish the trim in my office and then he will get started on building a new bookcase in there and we'll also relocate a cabinet from the livingroom. Everything is up in the air at the moment. I hope that by the end next weekend some of the insanity will be over and we'll have a lot more in order around the house.

33 Week OB Visit

I had an OB appointment this morning. Things are still looking good. I gained 4 pounds since my last visit but his assistant said a growth spurt was expected around now. That brings me up to about 30 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight but I feel like I'm doing okay.

They were pleased as always to hear that the baby was quite active. He's a very wiggly little guy and while it hurts more when he kicks and moves and stretches, its also comforting as he seems really healthy to me and my partner. His heartrate was at 155 for those of you who like stats.

I asked about who I call and what I do if I should go into labor and they said just call the office and let them know I had a myomectomy and I need to have a c-section. The office will call the hospital to let them know I'm on my way. Okay then, that's a plan. We talked more about the delivery date and after some discussion it was clear that he would like it to be a little earlier than February 15th, which is his due date of record based on that silly pregnancy wheel. As per Ovusoft and my own personal experience of a painful ovulation the cycle we conceived, my due date should be the 17th. Still the goal is to avoid labor and to have a safe surgical delivery, and my doctor is so not imposing so we are talking about doing it earlier that week, perhaps on the 12th.

Separately my partner as we were leaving the office expressed concern about my mother coming for the delivery and staying for a couple of weeks. I remember how after my myo how I had to cook for myself most of the time, and this time there will be an new infant to take care of as well. I'm feeling okay about having my mother around, he just wants to make sure he has time to bond with the baby on his own without my mother interfering. I told him I would speak with my mother and let her know that part of the plan with her staying is that she needs to allow us to have space as well. She's always on her computer and she knows people in the area so I don't think it's going to be too hard.

Driving to the office I started feeling a little weepy, I didn't but I just felt a little touched by things. Surgery, healing, the baby, my partner, my mother -- it feels a little overwelming. Plus the house is in a state of disarray as we reorganize to make way for our new roommate.

I often think of our neighbor's golden retriever who was a lovely dog. She whelped a little of puppies when she was young and took off after a few days after the birth and went missing for 4 days. They were frantic. Ultimately we found her but she had obviously just been overwelmed by things. Or my childhood cat who had her kittens in my doll carriage on top of some old baby blankets; I would put her in there but she never liked to stay. It was the perfect place to have her litter though.

I best get back to work.

Belly at 33 weeks

Finally I got my partner to take a photo of my belly again; it's been a few weeks. I'm feeling very full of baby now, I think he had a growth spurt, and when I look in the mirror I'm amazed at the size of my bump.

Did I tell you all that I'm scheduling the c/s for 2/15? We've decided. So unless baby decides to make an early entrance we have a finish line.

I put my name in for the diaper service and we're working on the nursery, trying to finish up the painting. I have an order of things coming from babycenter that should arrive tomorrow, my mother helped me pick out more layette items and sheets while she was here.

I don't have any breast feeding supplies of any kind yet, nor for diapering either. We also have to decide on the baby's crib and get that ordered. More shopping to do still yet.

Still Researching Infant Seats and Strollers

I bought the baby bargains book the other day and I've been comparing it to other reviews for strollers and the like online. Here are a few more places to look:

http://www.babycenter.com/
http://www.strollerqueen.com/
http://www.babychic101.com/
http://www.epinions.com/


We did decide to start with the infant seat, that appears to be the consensus, both online and off. I also just placed my order for a Kangaroo Korner fleece pouch so we can babywear and not just be lugging around an infant carrier.

Our friends got the Peg Perego with the infant seat. I'm still not sure, we need to go check them out in person I think. Weight is going to be a factor for whatever we get, I don't want to be lugging some heavy carrier or stroller if I can help it.

See my prior post about researching infant car seats

Edited to add the new Consumer Reports article about infant car seat safety. We decided to purchase the Graco SnugRide with EPS (whereas before we were leaning towards the Graco SafeSeat, a newer model) and it just arrived yesterday (1/12)