On the Last Week... and Signing Up for Silly Contests...

Earlier this week I got an e-mail notification that I had registered for the Phil&Teds Procreation Challenge last spring. "Give her the gift she REALLY wants for Valentine's Day," was the tag line, and all you have to do is have your baby on November 14th. Well, they didn't specify the prize until last night at 3am; the company is based in Australia, so I'm at their timing mercy! You can win an Explorer stroller from their line of inline strollers. It looks like you only win the single, but the doubles kit costs much less than any of the double strollers I've seen on the market, and this one weights 26.5 lbs... that is LIGHT for a double! I could not even lift the double options they had in stock at Babies R Us when we went to test them out about a month ago, and we had resigned to the fact that we would be buying the plastic connectors that link two umbrella strollers to create a double (I can definitely lift two umbrella strollers separately!). I think my body has been sabotaging me to win this dang stroller!

This week has been exceedingly more uncomfortable as well. I never thought I'd see 38 weeks... much less 39.5 weeks! I kicked off the week with a Monday morning labor-induction massage from the doula. It felt awesome. I felt had contractions all day on Monday... no baby, though. Tuesday I had less contractions, and they have completely petered out throughout the week! On Wednesday I found out that I was at least making progress; I had dilated another cm (3 now), I was still 70% effaced, and the baby had descended another cm (-2) into my pelvis. This was good news. I also met the final midwife in the practice, Theodora... who is my favorite! The Catholic Hippy of the bunch! We had a wonderful conversation about what our expectations are, how Dominic's birth had gone, why we had switched to the midwife practice, and she was right on the same page with us! I LOVE that I do not have to argue or defend myself with these midwives; I was so tired of being questioned to the third degree, and made to feel like I was neglecting my children by choosing not to have a heplock (one TINY request out of the ordinary!). "You wouldn't ride in the car without a seatbelt, would you?" was the line I got from not one, but TWO doctors! Theodora had NO CONCERNS about letting me labor without the heplock... if I had heart disease, or a history of stroke, or a complicated pregnancy, or weighed over 300 lbs, she may have felt differently, but I have a totally normal and uncomplicated pregnancy, I don't even weigh 150 lbs! I do not have bad veins! Thank you for being reasonable! She even said that Ryan can catch the baby if he'd like - he may not want to, but what an awesome option! Oh, and I get to wear whatever I want while I'm in labor! No hospital gown with open back for me!!

So I am still pregnant, still miserable; this morning I woke up with a sore rear end, no doubt from squatting to pick up Dominic all day yesterday while Ryan was at work, but I look like a duck when I walk, and it is insufferable to lift him today. Ryan is also working a 24 hour shift tonight, so I'm flying solo again. I am SO READY to have this baby! I also sewed 11 receiving blankets this week, and I am currently working on two topponcinos for the new baby. Those are security cushions the baby lays on and can be passed along from person to person on top of, so he has the same sense of security no matter who is holding him. I need to check with the toddler teacher this morning to see if I have it the right thickness, or if I need to cut it in half (in which case I think I might sew a couple extras and try to sell them? They are kind of expensive from Michael Olaf). I need to put the carseat into the car, pack a little bag for the hospital... maybe I'll labor in my maternity swimsuit, since I plan to labor in the tub! I think I'll also make a Munari Mobile in the next couple days if I don't go into labor... oye vey. Oh, and we have a family reunion this weekend! I better win that stroller.

Pregnancy, Babies, and Gear, OH MY! Part 1: Preparation and Delivery Tips

So, it has been a year since Dominic was born. I found out a few months ago that one of my favorite people, my cousin Becca, is expecting a baby. I told her I would send her a list of some of my favorite gear... and about 5000 words later (I haven't actually counted) I had a monster list of gear reviews, labor and delivery suggestions, and nursing tips. So I figured more people might be interested in my thoughts (I'm so vain), and decided to post it here for my 4 readers (some of whom already have their own baby manifestos).

Before Delivering the Baby--Preparation for the Hospital:

• Make a Birth Plan!!! I recommend the book Easy Labor for a run-down of all the pain management options and how they work. I felt prepared for anything that was thrown at me during my delivery because I knew the affects of different options. Great book. You'll love it when you're getting close to the due date!
• Get a Doula: If it is not totally out of the budget, hire a doula (heck, even if it is out of the budget). Get pregnancy massages from her, go to her birthing class, listen to what she has to say, and have her there the whole time you are at the hospital for delivery. Labor & Delivery nurses at the hospital are in charge of several women in labor at a time, and they will not be by your side while you are in labor. They mainly come by to stick their gloved fingers where no gloved finger should ever go, adjust your drugs (if you want them), and take your vitals regularly. They have a very important job, especially during delivery, but it is difficult for them to do that job and offer full-time support to the 5 laboring mothers in their care. Husbands are great for support, too, but a doula has assisted in tons of births, whereas your husband (probably) has only seen national geographic. The doula is super helpful when your teary eyed husband is worn out from seeing his wife in a ton of pain, and she can even help with crowd control if you expect a lot of people to show up at your door while you're having contractions. A doula can be somewhat expensive (in Housotn, anyway), but it is 100% worth it to have an expert who knows you personally and is also slightly removed from you in the delivery room to keep you and your husband calm. Mine even took some awesome and graphic photos of the birth... not too graphic, but it's like you're a fly on the wall!

• Visitor Warnings: Let people know in advance if they will be able to visit you during labor and delivery. You may want to let people know that you'll call them after the baby is born, so they will not be disappointed if they miss out on an "on the way to the hospital" call. We let everyone know we were at the hospital (Christmas Eve - Christmas Day), and told them we'd call when Dominic was born, and it was perfect. Nobody twiddling thumbs in the hospital waiting room, or worse, knocking on the door to see how things are going. You never know who will expect that they can be present for your glamorous birthing event.

• Freeze some meals. Spaghetti sauce (or any sauce, really) freezes well, and it will be simple to heat up for dinner when you get home with your baby and you are hungry and tired. Soups, stews, chilis, and casseroles also freeze nicely.

• Screw packing a hospital bag the size of your honeymoon luggage! They tell you to bring too much stuff that you don't need on the lists from the hospital. All I used from my hospital bag were: toiletries, one nightgown/sleepwear (hospital gowns could fit 5 of me comfortably in them, and they suck for jammies, but make a great robe when worn backwards), a pair of socks or slippers, and my electronics (laptop, camera, phone, ipod, chargers... packed moments before leaving for the hospital). You'll also want your own pillow, but I think that goes without saying, and usually does not fit in a bag. The hospital has all the blankets, baby stuff, medical stuff you could possibly need (even disposable underwear, and trust me, you don't want to deal with your own underwear right after giving birth), and it is silly to bring half of your apartment with you to sit in the corner of a tiny hospital room for a couple days. I even wore the same clothes home that I had worn into the hospital when I went into labor, since my water broke at the hospital when I was already in a hospital gown... easy. Oh, and the baby carseat... you can't leave the hospital without it... and you will want to get out of that room!

Caution: This next one is not for the faint of heart... Explicit birthing content follows:

• Be aware that the muscles you use to poop are the same muscles you use to push out a baby. So you are essentially going to have a 6-10lb poop of a baby when you go to the hospital (your baby is not poop, your baby is precious, but during hard labor you want to push like you are pooping so it will be over faster). Pushing will take much less time if you just push as though you were having a monster BM... watch your husband while he poops, that will give you an idea of how it works. I only pushed for 15 minutes, because I knew about this and I was finished being in labor and hungry. Emergency C-sections happen when mothers get too worn out to push any more because they were not pushing the right way for an hour or more, depending on the doctor. Less pushing = less pain.

That's me and Dominic. Isn't that a cute pic? Courtesy of the nurse or doula who grabbed my camera during the delivery.