Full Term

I have reached 37 weeks and my baby is now full term! Woo hoo!  He could be born any time now and would probably be perfectly healthy.  We met with an obstetrician last week and had a really good experience.  I really liked him and he seems really flexible and willing to accommodate our desires for Austin's birth.  Here's the plan as it stands today:  I have an appt. tomorrow for an ultrasound.  The dr. will check my fluid levels and see how much Austin has grown and from that he will determine whether or not to attempt a version.  If Austin doesn't have enough room, he won't even try the version and I will schedule my c-section.  If Austin does have enough room, we will schedule a version.  For the version, I will go to the hospital, get an epidural, then they'll try the version.  If the baby moves to the correct position, they will immediately induce my labor.  If he doesn't, they will immediately give me a c-section. All this will occur around 39 weeks and tomorrow I'll know the exact date!  I am so done and therefore so excited to have a specific day to count down to!

Not to whine (whenever someone says this, you know they're about to whine), but my ribs have never hurt so bad in my whole life.  Austin lodges his head firmly in them and I hope they're all still in tact.  The area around them is definitely bruised.  It's a crazy experience having a head so far up there.  I think his position is making my belly ginormous too.  He's not utilizing the space in my pelvis at all and I think it makes him stick out a bunch.  I have very few maternity outfits that still fit me.  That's never happened to me before in pregnancy.  Pretty much everything is too tight or too short.  I'm definitely not buying anything bigger though because soon I won't need them at all!  Hooray!

We have ordered pretty much everything we'll need for Austin's arrival.  I'm so excited to get a bunch of Amazon packages on my front porch later today!  It will feel so good to finally say I am completely ready.  I do have some serious cleaning to do first though.  I've been keeping up with the laundry and washing lots of baby clothes so that will simplify things.  Can't wait to have his birthday scheduled and start counting down the minutes! :)

My belly has grown immensely in the last few weeks!

A different view.  Justin is always telling me how strong I am.  I mean, look at me, my veins are popping out of my arms!  I'm like the hulk or something.

A little bum(med)

Lots to update today.  At my last prenatal appt. with Suzanne, we discovered that Austin may be breech.  Suzanne checked his position and thought he was head down but then I asked her what the giant, hard, round ball torturing my ribs was.  She felt it and said it felt quite a bit like a head.  It was hard and moveable, just like heads are.  We made an appointment for Monday (today), to confirm Austin's position by ultrasound and, if he was indeed breech, to attempt an external version.

I spent a few days wondering if the giant ball in my ribs was, indeed, a head.  I felt nervous and curious and anxious, but somehow I also felt very accepting of any outcome, as long as my baby was safe.  I felt pretty certain that I could feel the side of his face in my ribs.  I knew the chances of the version working were not high.

Well, as it turns out, he is definitely breech.  He also has the cord wrapped around his neck what looks like a few times.  Ugh.  It wouldn't be safe to attempt a version with him all tangled up in his cord.  Pretty much my only safe option at this point is to find an ob and schedule a cesarean section.  After 3 normal, fast, easy, safe home births, this is not at all what I wanted or expected.

BUT, I'm trying to look on the bright side.  I know I have to mourn the loss of what I wanted a little, but then I need to move on and start looking forward to the birth of my baby.  So I'm making a list of pros:

1. The biggest pro of all is that Austin can be born safely, without the risk of him getting stuck, or his cord compressing too much.
2. I'll be able to schedule my c-section which is really convenient for Justin taking work off and for getting babysitters, etc.
3. I will, probably, be scheduling my c-section earlier than Austin's due date which means less time being pregnant, and a less ginormo baby.  His estimated weight as of today is 6 lbs. 6 oz. or maybe 7 lbs. 6 oz.  If I'm pregnant till my due date, that makes for AT LEAST a 9 lb. baby.  If I go a week or two early, I might get a newborn-sized newborn.  It's been a while.
4. I probably won't experience any labor pain.  While it is hugely rewarding and satisfying to me to accomplish the feat of natural labor and childbirth, it is still something I get anxious and scared about and I won't have to worry about it now.
5. It will be cheaper.  I'm pretty sure our insurance covers all but 1000 bucks which is 2000 cheaper than we planned on.  That'll be super nice.

That's all I have come up with at the moment.  Hopefully I'll think of some more pros as I prepare for this new adventure.  I'm sure it's all for a reason.  I will gain new experience and be able to relate to people who have been in the same situation.  I'm sure there are many things to be learned from it all and I'm grateful for the opportunity to grow and expand my mind.  

Now the obstetrician search begins.  I mostly want someone who is a good and experienced surgeon.  However, there are a few things that are really important to me that I'm afraid I'll have to really push to get.

1. It is hugely important to me that I have skin to skin contact with my baby very shortly after his birth.  I know it facilitates bonding and an easier nursing experience, among many other benefits.  I feel very strongly that a baby that was inside of me for 9 months should not be quickly whisked away to a table to be prodded and poked and weighed and measured and diapered and burrito wrapped.  He was just in me, he should now be on me.
2. I don't want to him to get goop in his eyes, a vitamin K shot, or any immunizations.  I want to wait a few days and only do 1 pku.
3. I don't want to be in a separate room from him for a single moment.  Someone who has been so close to me for so long should not suddenly be all the way in another room.  Especially someone so vulnerable and helpless as a newborn baby.  I think that would be emotionally distressing for him and for me.
4. I want a provider who is going to listen to me and take me seriously and consider my wishes.

I've got a lot to think about and plan over the next few weeks!

35 weeks!  I am carrying super high because he is not, at all, engaged in my pelvis.

31 weeks. .the single digit weekly countdown is on!

I will be 31 weeks pregnant in a few days.  I've got about 9 weeks till my "guess date."  65 days.  It's really getting down to it.  In some ways, 65 days seems endlessly long.  I think the fact that the season has to change makes it feel longer.  I'm so excited to have a sweet little spring baby again though.  I am not, however, excited to have a post-baby body all summer long.  :)

In some ways, 65 days is sooooo short.  In 65 days I have to have a van, stroller, all the baby clothes I need, a clean and organized house, $2000 bucks for my midwife, and so on and so on.  In 65 days I will have my last baby.  In 65 days my kids will have another sibling, I will experience childbirth for the last time, I will begin again to be a nursing mommy.  In 65 days my family will be complete!  It's not long at all, really.  :)

As far as physical/medical stuff goes, I found out this pregnancy that I am RH-.  Somehow it got overlooked or confused in my previous pregnancies.  I got a shot of Rhogam (very stingy but not as bad as I thought it would be).  My iron is low so I've been taking liquid iron (Floradix).  It's quite foul tasting, especially because Justin reminds me regularly that it tastes like blood.  It really does.  I feel like Bella Swan.  My legs are starting to get super restless.  My midwife suggested that I take a bath before bed with epsom salts and drink some liquid magnesium.  I tried it for the first time last night and it seemed to really relax me and put me right to sleep.  Austin is not yet engaged in my pelvis and he's in a posterior position (ouchy).  My back and hip are definitely suffering.  There are a few exercises i am going to start doing to help him get in the proper position but he's got lots of time to move still so I'm not too worried yet.  I measured 27 cm at my 30 week appointment.  Although I am measuring small, I still feel confident that this child is somewhat of a beast.  :)  All of my other pregnancies measured small too.

I've started listening to some relaxation and labor day rehearsal scripts at night.  Austin seems to love it.  Maybe because I'm able to really relax my uterus and he has more room to wiggle.  He moves like crazy the whole time I'm listening but I'm so relaxed that I just fall asleep despite his wiggles.  I vacillate between feeling anxious and scared and feeling so determined and ready to tackle this labor.  I'm afraid of pain, afraid of a long labor, afraid of complications (like my giant baby getting stuck).  I hope my waters stay in tact this time until I'm ready to push.  It makes things much less intense.  I'm afraid that I won't be able to maintain my calm and that will make me feel out of control and I will freak out.  BUT, even more than being afraid, I am determined.  Only a few hours of labor separate me from holding my baby and from being very comfortably NOT pregnant.  I'd be willing to do just about anything to obtain those two things, so labor is cake.

I've always wanted to hire a photographer to capture my labor/birth experiences, and this is my last chance, so I did it!  I'm really excited to have the experience captured through some high quality photos.  Everyone that has done it in the past has done a great job but I've always felt bad asking anyone close to me to do it because I know they have to miss out on some of the experience, stuck behind a camera.  I'm glad everyone will be free to observe, support, or do whatever they want to do.  :)

I have switched to having prenatal appointments every 2 weeks now so I will try to update if anything has changed at my 32 week appointment.  So excited!  Austin can't come soon enough.

28ish Weeks

Grooooooowing all the time.  My belly button feels like it's about to explode.  I only have 12 weeks left of this pregnancy, or any pregnancy for that matter.  I can't wait!

No, I still haven't cleaned the mirror.  :)

26 Weeks 3 Days

It's been quite a while since I blogged and way too long since I posted a belly shot.  My pictures are going to go from barely pregnant, to beached whale.  I'm beginning to feel like a hippo.  I swear I'm bigger than I've been in any of my pregnancies.  My pelvis hurts so bad, just lifting my leg to walk is excruciating.  Ugh!!  I wish I could exercise and keep my weight gain to a minimum, but it just hurts way too bad right now.  Such is life.

Since I last wrote we discovered that our baby is a boy!!  We were hoping for and really thinking we were going to have a girl so it was a bit of an adjustment, but we are very happy about it now and can't wait to welcome our sweet baby boy.  We have decided on a name: Austin David Barlow.  As soon as I saw his little face on the ultrasound, I knew it didn't matter what gender he was, I loved him.  That made accepting the fact that he was a boy much easier.  We are a 1 princess family and I'm sure Charity will get extra spoiled as a result.  :)

I have 95 days left till my due date and I cannot wait!  Pregnancy is not my friend.  I love having a baby though and I guess that's the best way to get one.  :)   Lets just say I am very happy that this is the last time for me!  I can't wait to cradle, cuddle, kiss, and feed my babe.  I can't wait to see what he looks like and discover what type of personality he has.  I can't wait to feel his soft skin and hair.  I can't wait for our family to grow and change and become even more joyful.  95 days!!  I'll try to blog more often during that time.

We announced his gender by sending around this pic.  

Showing off his man parts (clearly a boy)

Austin David

I probably should have cleaned the mirror first.  Whoa Mama!  I assure you, the smile is forced.  :)

11 WEEKS!

I only have 2 maternity shirts thus far so I'm sure
they will be making frequent appearances here.  :)

I have now completed 11 weeks of pregnancy.  Yay!  My belly is starting to grow and fill out even more. I'm pretty sure I am undeniably pregnant looking at this point.  Which is good, way better than slightly chubby looking.  I am beginning to feel less and less sick.  I only had to take meds a couple of times in the last week.  My morning sickness seems to have gone away and now I only have evening sickness.  Every day around dinner time I get super nauseas.  During the rest of the day though, it's manageable, as long as I eat the right stuff at the right time.

I have an appt. with a midwife here in Austin so I can have my thyroid levels checked asap.  She'll do a prenatal visit as well so it will be fun to get to hear my baby's heartbeat again.  I am so excited to move on to this next phase of pregnancy.  My baby will be growing very quickly and soon I'll be able to feel him/her moving around inside of me.  That's always my favorite part of pregnancy.  I can't wait!

10 down, 30 to go. . .

I am now 1/4 of the way through my pregnancy!  Hooray!  It sounds like a lot when I put it that way.  My baby is now officially a fetus with all it's vital organs formed and beginning to function.  Only 8 weeks and I get to find out my baby's gender.  I cannot wait!  I seem to be beginning to have less morning sickness now and don't need to take my meds quite as often.  Which is a good thing cuz it gives me horrid headaches.  I'm still counting down till my 1st trimester ends and hopefully the nausea calms down permanently.  Just 3.5 weeks till then.

We have decided to move back to Utah and we are focusing a lot of our attention on that right now which helps time pass for me.  I am so excited to be with family again and experience the pregnancy milestones with them.  I'm so thrilled that my baby will know its extended family.  I can't wait to have Suzanne for a midwife again.  I am just anxious for everything to work out as quickly as possible!  I have a feeling life is about to get a whoooooole lot busier.