I can't believe The Bean isn't here yet. I'm getting SO frustrated, and am just trying to keep my mind off of the waiting.
On Tuesday, I woke up at 4:00 with contractions that kept me awake. I got up and had a bowl of cereal, and started making lunches around 5, figuring that if the contractions stopped, I'd be ready for work, and if not, I'd be ready with snacks for later. By the time it was our usual wake-up time (6:30-ish), the contractions were still coming, and were about 10 minutes apart. I called my sub to tell her I wouldn't be coming in, and LB called in for a sub at her work. We got up and had breakfast, and tried to contain our excitement every time a contraction came. We took Olive for a walk, and I noticed that these contractions were much stronger than the braxton-hicks contractions I'd had for weeks - they lasted longer (almost 2 minutes), and radiated around my back as well as my abdomen. I was feeling really optimistic about seeing our Bean!
We passed some time at home, watching daytime TV and keeping track of the contractions on my phone. They were about 8 minutes apart, and still strong enough that I was looking for some gentle comfort measures when they came. I couldn't lay down through them, because they were much stronger in my back, but standing up and bending forward really helped. Since they weren't getting closer together at this point, we decided to go on another walk and try to get things moving faster. After the walk, we watched a movie, kept on timing contractions, and then decided to go to Costco. At Costco, the contractions started being less regular - 6 minutes, then 3 minutes, then 7 minutes, and were less strong. When we got home, we played some Settlers of Catan, and the contractions continued being irregular and weaker. We tried one more walk with Olive, but as soon as we stopped walking, the contractions spread out again, now to 10 or 12 minutes apart. I had a few strong ones once I went to bed at 10, but they quickly fizzled out.
On Wednesday, we headed to a nearby shopping center that is near to the hospital to walk around and try for an earlier midwife appointment. We passed some time at the bookstore and walking around outside, but the contractions were much weaker than the day before, and not regular at all. That afternoon, we saw the midwife and were told that "it happens sometimes," which may be true, but was a very frustrating thing to hear. She checked my cervix, and I was barely dilated and not effaced, so probably not looking at Bean arriving in the next day or two. This was amazingly discouraging. She did recommend some measures we might take to bring labor a little faster, which I had been pooh-pooh-ing only days before, and was now hanging on every word.
So, for the last two days we've been using Evening Primrose Oil, and hoping that it is working its magic. I've also been refusing to time any contractions, because I just can't take a repeat of Tuesday. That, combined with a long bath last night, made today a little easier. I've also been trying some techniques from Spinning Babies, since the midwife mentioned that Bean was "sunny-side up," and am hopeful that I'm able to make some difference, should labor try to start again.
The hardest part of all of this is that I knew I wanted to work until Bean came, because I would find it incredible torturous to be home, pregnant, and waiting for the Bean. After four days at home, I can confirm that I was right about my own reaction to sitting around waiting. Sigh. It's so hard to see my sick leave ticking away, without anything to show for it.
Showing posts with label complaining. Show all posts
Showing posts with label complaining. Show all posts
Friday, January 21, 2011
Monday, October 25, 2010
Carry You Around
Carry You Around
by Ani DiFranco
And I know the fact of your presence/ Will dominate my memory of this restaurant this table/ This day and this town/ 'Cause I carry you, baby/ I carry you around
Well, the countdown has reached double digits (ack!), those shirts I was so sure were too long back in June are now too short (whoops!), and among my back, hips, and neck, something always aches (owwww...). Must be third trimester time!
The next visit with the midwives is this Thursday, and for the first time, LB won't be able to come along. Since I have to do the 1-hour glucose tolerance, we couldn't make the appointment for after work like last month, so I'll be going alone on my morning off. On the plus side, this means I will have an iron-clad reason to skip out on the superintendent's visit to our school.
I can't shake the worries planted by my mother's rant a few weeks ago; I keep nearly convincing myself that I'm not going to pass the glucose test, or that I have symptoms of preeclampsia, or that something else drastic and abysmal is coming down the pike. LB keeps reminding me that I just need to ask these questions at the appointment on Thursday, and I am eternally grateful for her cool (and non-pregnancy addled) head.
by Ani DiFranco
And I know the fact of your presence/ Will dominate my memory of this restaurant this table/ This day and this town/ 'Cause I carry you, baby/ I carry you around
Well, the countdown has reached double digits (ack!), those shirts I was so sure were too long back in June are now too short (whoops!), and among my back, hips, and neck, something always aches (owwww...). Must be third trimester time!
The next visit with the midwives is this Thursday, and for the first time, LB won't be able to come along. Since I have to do the 1-hour glucose tolerance, we couldn't make the appointment for after work like last month, so I'll be going alone on my morning off. On the plus side, this means I will have an iron-clad reason to skip out on the superintendent's visit to our school.
I can't shake the worries planted by my mother's rant a few weeks ago; I keep nearly convincing myself that I'm not going to pass the glucose test, or that I have symptoms of preeclampsia, or that something else drastic and abysmal is coming down the pike. LB keeps reminding me that I just need to ask these questions at the appointment on Thursday, and I am eternally grateful for her cool (and non-pregnancy addled) head.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Heatwave
Heatwave
by Martha and the Vandellas
It's like a heatwave/ Burnin' in my heart/ Can't keep from cryin'/ It's tearin' me apart
In the land-locked portions of the continent, temperatures of 90 degrees may be commonplace, even unremarkable. In the coastal, temperate Seattle, however, such temperatures send us running for the hills (metaphorically, in this case). In our little purple house, we have no air-conditioning, and only 2 fans, so the week of elevated temperatures hit us like a ton of bricks. A super-heated, stifling ton of bricks. After a few nights of poor sleep, we scrounged up a couple of window fans from LB's family, and set up camp in The Bean's future room, which stays slightly cooler. LB, being the gracious lady she is, let me take the twin bed we have set up in there, and she slept on another mattress on the floor. Our pug took advantage of the floor bed to snuggle up to LB all night, while the cat found shelter in the cool basement. After two nights in this setup, it cooled down enough to move back into our bedroom with the window fan running, and we have now returned to the usual array of blankets and pillows.
The downside of returning to our usual temperate clime is that back pain, not the heat, is now keeping me up at night. Somewhere during our European adventure in July, I started having hip/back pain while walking. I figured I was walking too much, or perhaps walking poorly, and didn't think too much of it. Now, the pain has become nearly constant, and is interfering with rolling over at night, standing up, and picking things up from the floor. The search for a way to end the back pain is on!
by Martha and the Vandellas
It's like a heatwave/ Burnin' in my heart/ Can't keep from cryin'/ It's tearin' me apart
In the land-locked portions of the continent, temperatures of 90 degrees may be commonplace, even unremarkable. In the coastal, temperate Seattle, however, such temperatures send us running for the hills (metaphorically, in this case). In our little purple house, we have no air-conditioning, and only 2 fans, so the week of elevated temperatures hit us like a ton of bricks. A super-heated, stifling ton of bricks. After a few nights of poor sleep, we scrounged up a couple of window fans from LB's family, and set up camp in The Bean's future room, which stays slightly cooler. LB, being the gracious lady she is, let me take the twin bed we have set up in there, and she slept on another mattress on the floor. Our pug took advantage of the floor bed to snuggle up to LB all night, while the cat found shelter in the cool basement. After two nights in this setup, it cooled down enough to move back into our bedroom with the window fan running, and we have now returned to the usual array of blankets and pillows.
The downside of returning to our usual temperate clime is that back pain, not the heat, is now keeping me up at night. Somewhere during our European adventure in July, I started having hip/back pain while walking. I figured I was walking too much, or perhaps walking poorly, and didn't think too much of it. Now, the pain has become nearly constant, and is interfering with rolling over at night, standing up, and picking things up from the floor. The search for a way to end the back pain is on!
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