Announcing.....

My pregnancy ticker at the top of the page is wrong. I do NOT have 5 days to go. Because my new little boy is 4 days old now!! :-) Yep, that's right. I finally had that sweet little boy and I feel SO much better. I knew I would. Okay, the details. Levi Quinn was born Wednesday morning, July 30th, at 6:25 a.m. It's hard to say how long the labor was because I had been in mild/moderate labor for DAYS!!! But I arrived at the hospital at 3:50 a.m. and he was born at 6:25. That's 2 hours and 35 minutes later. Sounds good, eh? Levi weighed 9 pounds 13 ounces and was 21 1/4 inches long with a 14 1/2 inch head. There was a lot of baby all bunched up inside of me and we both seem happy with his change of address! :-) Labor was uneventful except for the remarkable fact that I HAD A BABY!! :-) It was unmedicated as I wished, I labored in the tub until the last possible moment, I didn't tear so there were no stitches (yea!!), my doc let me deliver the placenta unassisted, she waited until the cord stopped pulsing in order to cut it, the doc didn't break my water (even though she asked if she could during those last few moments). BTW, her reason for wanting to break the water wasn't good enough so I said no. She wanted to break it because she didn't want it to break all of a sudden, in a gush, all over her! I said "isn't that why you get paid the big bucks!?!?" Soon my water broke all over her. She said, "That's what I mean." Funny! I pushed for 11 minutes and then I had my sweet 'little' baby! Well, that's all I have time to write for now. We're pretty busy and nursing is a little rough right now because Levi is tongue-tied but hopefully that will be remedied tomorrow at the doctor's office. Here's a link to a slideshow of Levi's hospital pics. I put it together really quickly so they aren't all the best pictures, I just dumped them all into the slide show without being choosy. Enjoy!! BTW, I worried in my last post what message I was conveying to (especially) my 12 y.o. daughter... Today she said, "I sure hope Levi isn't going to be the youngest child around here..." Hoo boy!

Weak and Heavy-laden

I'm having so much trouble being cheerful and thankful at this point in my pregnancy. I've just been miserable and oh so tired. I don't sleep much at night and that makes days with my 4 children not so pleasant. I feel like I'm complaining at every turn and I can't seem to get it under control. I just want to be DONE! I've never felt this uncomfortable during a pregnancy before. Maybe it's my age?? I'm 39. I find myself worried that maybe I'll have to do this again and I won't be able to do it again. That's certainly not the attitude I wish to have and not the attitude I want to convey to my children (especially my 12 y.o. daughter!)

I feel so badly that I'm not able to do the stuff I normally can do and because of that I'm placing a much bigger burden on my husband. It seems like such a burden that my children are having to bear because I'm not up to my usual duties. I feel like the house is falling apart despite my husband's valiant efforts, I feel like my kids aren't getting the attention and care that they want and deserve. I wonder why in the world I put in a garden that I can't maintain. I wonder what we are doing that we should eliminate in order to have more time for the important. I wonder how to balance the fact that I just cannot do certain things with the fear that I'm being lazy and taking advantage of the situation.

Sometimes I don't know I've overdone things until it's too late. I look back and realize 'oh, THAT, was too much'. I'm light-headed, dizzy, and I stagger around the house sometimes with contractions that don't allow me to stand up straight but I have to keep going because dinner needs to be made and the contractions I'm having, while they are difficult, aren't accomplishing anything at the moment. I know (because I've had other pregnancies where I contract for WEEKS/MONTHS before delivery) that it all those contractions make for a pretty fast labor in the end BUT it's so hard to be in mild labor almost all the time. I think I'd rather just save it for the end where everything else stops and I can just have the baby. Instead, I doing labor and life at the same time. I don't like it. But that's where I am and somehow I need to find ways to be cheerful, thankful, and trusting that God is at work in this pregnancy, my life and in my family.

This is a pretty bad pity party but maybe I'm venting enough here that things will get better. Meaning, of course, that my attitude will get better. Just pray with me that I will remember to avail myself of the privilege of laying my burdens at the foot of the cross and remember that Jesus can take our burdens and turn them into joy!

Forgive me for taking this verse out of context but I've been thinking of this one a lot during this pregnancy:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS
What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there.

Laundry at Midnight

I got out of bed to put all the baby clothes that have been packed up into the washing machine. Maybe I'm getting ready too early but then maybe I'm not. It's so hard for me to tell. I've been very uncomfortable today. Lots of contractions, gastrointestinal upset, some vomiting. I never know if I'm just doing too much or if "something" is happening. I need some clear, unmistakeable sign that "this is it". Breaking of my waters would do it but I don't want it because the last two times my water broke in the hospital the baby was born within 9 minutes and the second time was within 7 minutes. I definitely don't want my water breaking at home! So I'm left to wonder when things get strange, "Is this it??" Just in case, I'm laundring baby clothes and blankets. Tomorrow I plan to wash the infant car seat cover and get that all ready. Maybe I'm setting myself up for a really long wait or else I'm just being prepared.

My Ambien is kicking in...I better hit the hay.

Getting some ZZZ's

I got some pretty good sleep last night. What a blessing. I haven't been sleeping well for a few weeks due to my restless, twitchy legs. I've been averaging about 2-4 hours a night. That is just not enough for me. My doctor prescribed Ambien for me Friday, June 27th and I slept great that night. It didn't work the next night! I was so disappointed. A couple of days later I decided to take two and THAT worked much better. At my last appointment she (my doc) said that taking 2 if fine but it would be better if I was only taking it 2-3 times a week. So I pretty much have to decide ahead of time if I really need to sleep on a particular night or if this night will be one of the ones that I'm tossing and turning, up taking a hot bath, and getting no sleep. My right eye has been twitching on and off for about 3 weeks now and I'm sure that it's due to the lack of sleep. I had a mild case of this when I was pregnant with Abby but it wasn't much of a problem and it went away after her delivery. I'm sure hoping the same is the case this time. I'd hate to be up in the night trying to rock and nurse my new little one and unable to sit still! I'm hopeful that it will go away in time.

I'm not calling Guinness just yet

Wednesday I had an ultrasound (pictures are below) but I couldn't have the follow-up appointment with the doctor because she was in surgery. They scheduled me to come back the next day (Thursday). That's not so bad but it's a 40 mile round trip and I hated to spend the gas to do that twice in two days. Also it's a little difficult scheduling that around hubby's work and my waning energy. In any case, I went yesterday for the follow-up and the doctor was delivering a baby. I chose to wait rather than have to come back yet again. My wait ended up being an hour and twenty minutes! That was pretty miserable because I can't sit still for long. I have had a lot of trouble this pregnancy with restless legs and trying to sit for very long is pretty impossible. I also cannot relax. It has made for many, many sleepless nights already and I still have five weeks to go....

So, my follow-up appointment. The reason I had the u/s in the first place is because my fundal height was measuring large and the doctor wanted to see how big the baby was and see if I maybe had too much amniotic fluid. I pretty much consented to the u/s because I wanted to have pictures taken like the ones below... :-) The technician told me that the baby has chunk on 'it' and I also have a lot of fluid but that neither of those things were dangerous. Yesterday the doctor said that, yes, the baby is big. Baby weighs 8 lbs 5 oz. right now and that if I go to my due date I'm looking at delivering a 9 to 10 pounder. She said I just may break my personal record which is 9 lbs. 9 oz. (Adam). I don't really know how accurate with these weight estimates and I kind of wish I didn't have those numbers in my head!

The doctor said that if I consented to an amniocentesis to check up on lung maturity then she would deliver me early. If you know me very well, you know that there's no way I would consent to that unless there was some kind of an emergency! BTW there's a really cool DVD called In The Womb put out by National Geographic. On that DVD I learned that when the baby's lungs are mature they secrete a protein into the amniotic fluid that triggers the placenta to decrease the production of progesterone and to increase the production of oxytocin. Either of those things can put one into labor and both of them combined would certainly do the trick! And so, since I like to keep things a natural as possible, I'll be waiting until the natural course of events unfolds.

Remind me I said that a couple of weeks from now if I start complaining!

Does anybody else have experience with the doctor's estimating baby's weight? Were they right or wrong?

Whaddya think?

My due date is 5 1/2 weeks away. Don't you think this baby looks "done" now? I feel pretty done... I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Today's Doctor's Appointment

Well, I didn't have my OB appointment today. I was running late and I called the doctor's office from my car (yes, while I was driving) and said that I would probably be about 10 minutes late for my appointment. The receptionist checked the schedule and told me that I would have to reschedule for next week. Arrgh. On one hand I was irritated but on the other hand I don't like going anyway so it's not so bad to put it off for another week. On the other hand, I was irritated. She asked when looked good for rescheduling next week. I said afternoons are best and any afternoon would do. She asked if 11:40 a.m. would work. I condesendingly sweetly replied that that was actually still morning NOT afternoon and I was thinking sometime after 3pm. So... now I have an appointment for NEXT Friday at 3:40 pm. I'll make a better effort to arrive on time!!

If only real midwives could deliver in the hospitals here and insurance would pay for it! Sigh.

cartoon source: http://www.mediclicks.net/nexium/cartoons.asp?i=46

Pregnancy & Cousins' Camp

At my last OB appointment (May 28th) I was 29 1/2 weeks. I haven't been keeping track of my weight very much so I asked what my weight gain had been so far. The nurse looked at my chart and said that I had lost since the last visit and that my total gain was 2 pounds! Cool! I have an appointment this Friday and I'll be 33 weeks. I absolutely expect to hear that I've gained about 10 pounds in the intervening 3 1/2 weeks. It's been crazy!

We went on "vacation" to visit my family in western Oregon June 4-9. I think I gained all the weight then. Vacation is in quotes because traveling 9 hours one way when I'm 30 weeks pregnant is not a comfortable venture for me. It wasn't too bad on the way there but the drive back was pretty miserable! It was worth it though because it was time for the kids to go to Cousins' Camp. My parents grandkids who are approximately 4 years old and up get to go to grandma & grandpa's house (without the parents and younger siblings) for two days of activities and fun times. This year we had three of our kids at camp. It's worth whatever it takes to make it to camp. Yes, even that miserable drive! :-) Anyway, since we weren't at home and we were eating out, I think I ate a lot more than usual. I found my appetite returned when I didn't have to think much about planning meals or preparing them. I'm very curious to see how much I've gained when I go to this next appointment.

I also want to know if maybe the due date is wrong and I'll be having this baby sooner than we thought. Everyone I see is amazed when they find out I'm not due until August 8. A checker lady at Wal-Mart gave me a raised eyebrow when I told her Aug. 8th. An older man at Home Depot looked at me incredulously and asked if I was sure about that date. A man I don't know at my parents church asked me if maybe it was twins I was carrying. The size of my belly coupled with my frequent contractions and sleepless nights really does make me wonder if this can really go on for another 7-8 weeks. Ah, here's a contraction now. Speak of the devil! I have to remember, though, that I have contractions all through my last trimester anyway, so I really shouldn't make too much of this.

BTW, here's a picture that was on the Cousins' Camp t-shirts this year:

Pregnancy Update

I consistently read blogs even though I don't consistently write. I just haven't had much desire to write anything lately and I can't really blame it on my pregnancy. Well, maybe I can. The extreme nausea I usually experience has abated somewhat and it's definitely more managable but I still get quite tired and never know how to fit into one day all the things I 'need' or want to do. The list of things in my head is quite a bit longer than is my stamina. I guess I'm getting old!

I'm also having the struggle that I've had at this point in a pregnancy before and that is, "Boy, I wish I could just go to a midwife and a birthing center and skip all this medicalized doctor stuff" the trouble is, insurance pays 100% for the medicalized doctor stuff and 0% for the personal, humanized, holistic, hands-on care. It's a big difference between $0.00 and $3400.00 or so. Sigh. I guess I just go over my birth plan again and remind myself why I decline all the different testings and typical protocol and get ready to stand my ground. I do have to say, though, that my doctor last time didn't give me too hard a time about rejecting a lot of the typical medical protocol. In case you wonder what I mean specifically, I decline things like:

• most cervical exams
• genetic testing
• glucose tolerance testing
• group b strep testing
• 20-week ultrasound (and any other u/s except the one at the start to date the pregnancy)
• labor induction or augmentation
• IV use
• eye antibiotics for baby
• assisted delivery of the placenta

Another thing is that I wish I could labor in the water as long as I wanted to and even deliver there. I'm pretty sure that's not okay at 'my' hospital and with my doctor although I will be verifying that to be sure.

Okay. That's out of my system. Now what I wish was out of my system is this nasty cold that I have. I cough so hard that I end up vomiting (nice), which is also hard on my umbilical hernia (ouch). Once the baby has grown enough that my uterus is blocking the hernia site it won't be so much of a problem. As it is, I have some excruciating belly button pain some days (even without the cough) and I have to press on my belly button to reduce the hernia and, um, well, push that little bit of intestine back through. Imagine that with a wicked cough.

Tomorrow is the halfway point in this pregnancy and I'm really looking forward to adding this new one to our home. (Even though I sound like I'm doing a lot of complaining in the above paragraphs!) I got to see Abby with my sister's new little baby girl and Abby LOVES her. It's so sweet! When I was holding Elizabeth, Abby would climb up on my lap and lay on my chest beside the baby and pat her back and tell her "you okay". Oh my goodness, she loves that little girl. It just make me anxious to bring home a little baby of our own to Abby. Anyhow, I'll end with a picture of the little sweetie born in the water at a birthing center and caught by her mama! Isn't that just great!?!?

Through the wilderness

Thanks for all the congratulations! I feel sick as a dog but I'm trying to remember to be thankful for that. The only pregnancy I've had where I didn't feel so bad was the one I miscarried. That tends to make me think that sick=good. However, being nauseated is the thing I hate the most. I feel so discouraged and I lack motivation when I feel this way. I just want to be unconscious or totally absorbed in a book or reading SOMETHING online. Obviously that doesn't fit in very well in a homeschooling home with kids ages 2-11. So I have to find my way though this. Actually, I know that I don't have to find my way, I just have to follow the One Who already has the way mapped out for me.

Remember this song?:

"My Lord knows the way through the wilderness,
All I have to do is follow, strength for today is mine always
And all that I need for tomorrow.
My Lord knows the way through the wilderness
All I have to do is follow."

~Sidney E. Cox

Picture: The Wave, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area, Arizona

Chocolate Cake

Dessert is served. Actually it will be served 08-08-08 or thereabouts. :-)