The week before the baby arrived, Andy and I walked every where. We walked around Atrim Lake, Tuttle Mall, and Easton Town Center. On the Sunday before our scheduled induction, we packed our hospital bags in the minivan and drove to the Jeffersonville Prime Outlets figuring if we left the city the baby would come. By this time he was four days late and I was ready to have him.
The next morning I got up to go to the bathroom. When I climbed back into bed at 6:45am my water broke! I was so excited! We called my doctor’s office and she told us to get to the hospital. I took a test to confirm that my water had broken (and I hadn’t just peed my pants). Once I was in the labor room, nothing really happened so I was basically induced after 9am. I was 3 cm at my last appointment and after about 8 hours of hard labor I only got one more cm! The pitocin would make three contractions come a minute apart and then stall for about 5 minutes. It was really intense and I got the shakes. I got an epidural and got to about 6 cm after a while and stayed there for the next 6 hours. My cervix stopped effacing and started getting swollen since his head was just sitting there. I was too narrow to deliver a big baby — which had been suggested at my early OB exam. The baby’s heart rate drop one time when they had me flat on my back but I was given oxygen and everything was fine. The doctor said I could labor some more but that a c-section was probably the best option at that point. After talking about it with Andy for a minute, we decided that would be best. Max came out 20 minutes after the decision to c-section at 11:40pm. He weighed 8 lbs 8 oz and was 21 inches long. We couldn’t be happier!
We had a doctor’s appointment yesterday. Things are progressing. I’m at 3 cm but the baby is still pretty high. Baby Max did well on the non-stress test, once I got some food in me! He refused to move for almost the whole first 20 minutes. They gave me some juice and he still wasn’t moving. They put me on my side and push on my belly. Only one little movement. Good thing I had a granola bar in my purse. Once I ate that he was all over the place! We’ll be doing another non-stress test on Monday if he’s not here by then.
We also had an ultrasound done to check the bag of waters. Levels are really good. I guess out of the four quadrants you want at least 5 cm of water. I had one quadrant with 8 cm and a total of 17 cm! So much fluid! The funny thing was that most of the water is on my right side - the lopsided side! The machine also calculated that he is approximately 8 lbs and 12 oz (though that can be off by a pound or 2 either way). The doctor guesses he’s between 7 and 8 lbs now. We also got a photo of the foot that keeps jutting out under my ribs!
Since Wednesday was my due date, we have a scheduled induction for next Thursday morning. But I really hope he will come before then!
I had my weekly doctor’s appointment yesterday morning. It was the first one that Andy didn’t make it to because he was driving the Brown Truck. He’s decided to not drive again until after the baby comes just in case he’s in the middle of a route and things start happening around here.
The doctor called me 2-3 cm, still 70% effaced and in -3 position. I told her how sore my ribs were. She asked if I wanted her to talk to the baby and tell him to move down towards the exit. Definitely!
I spent the early afternoon yesterday with my mom. She gave me some homemade noodles, a zucchini, summer squash and new red potatoes. When I got home, I made zucchini bread, cocoa zucchini cake and some muffins. SO GOOD! I also made one more lasagna (my 6th one but now there’s 4 in the freezer). Today I am baking a Christmas turkey. I used some of the potatoes and squash as part of my turkey stock. I will be attempting turkey gravy. Cooking, baking and preparing food for our freezer has been part of my “nesting” experience. The photo is a list of the entrees I have made on our refrigerator with index cards behind it on how to prepare them.
I’d like to get this labor going! We’re due one week from today. The receptionist scheduled my next doctor’s appointment for a week from Thursday. I told her I hope to have a baby before then!
Last weekend was the Fourth of July. I got to see Jessica (who is five weeks behind me in her pregnancy) at a cookout at her parents’ house. I had a spicy bratwurst and am pretty sure I had some pretty good contractions on the way home.
I also had a family shower last weekend. It was a lot of fun. I think we have everything we need for this little guy. There’s so much stuff! But I do finally have everything put away and a couple of outfits and all the sheets washed. The room is looking good! It probably won’t stay that way for long but everything has a place right now.
Our doctor’s appointment went well yesterday morning. The baby didn’t want his heart rate taken. He was running away from the doctor and his heart rate got really high - into the 170’s and 180’s - from all the aerobic activity he was doing. He was fine though at 155 bpm.
The doctor put me at 1-2 cm dilated, still 70% effaced and in -3 position. My fundal height measurement is 38cm. I have been measuring 1-2 centimeters bigger than average. I am ready though! I’m getting excited about meeting this little guy. We had our last childbirth preparation class last night. And our doctor recommends we pack our hospital bag. My vote is for Saturday, July 11th. Thanks for voting!
1. We got our first positive pregnancy test on November 15th, 2008. The day of the Wayne Watson concert.
2. Our first doctors appointment was December 11th, 2008. We had an early ultrasound and got to see the heartbeat for the first time.
3. I had been feeling sick for a while and we stopped at Wendy’s for dinner on our way to the Weslake’s Christmas party on December 6th, 2008. I had a chicken sandwich and a small chili and felt great afterwards so I requested that meal often for the next month or so.
4. We told our parents we were pregnant at Christmas by giving them ultrasound photos as presents.
5. The first time I felt a really big kick was the night after the C.R.A.C.K. House dinner on February 27th, 2009.
6. In the springtime, I could push on the side of my stomach or contract my abdominals and get a kick back from the baby almost every time.
7. While driving one day a fire engine passed with very loud sirens and it startled the baby.
8. There was one night when I placed my hand on my moving stomach and the baby pulled away promptly.
9. In the summer, when I lay on my left side, the baby pushes off the bed and I can feel kicks on both sides of my stomach.
10. I’ve been very lopsided towards my right side. Sometimes you can feel the bottom or a foot sticking out under my ribs.
11. The baby gets the hiccups low on my left side.
Today marks the 37th week of the pregnancy. It feels like I have been pregnant forever! We had a doctor’s appointment yesterday and there was no change in my cervix. My protein level results were high so I had to take a second test and they were much better. I am a little swollen but my blood pressure is fine. Everything seems good so far.
My mom believes now that the baby will come sooner than my due date. Andy and his mom have been saying that for a while. I might be nesting. *cluck*cluck*cluck* I don’t have a huge amount of energy or anything. But I do have a freezer full of food and all the baby things put away!
Below is a Baby Pool. You can choose one of the options or add an answer by typing in a date. Thanks for your votes!
Week 35 flew by! I didn’t even take a belly photo until halfway through week 36. Close enough. (Photos at www.babyz.jocelynzeidner.com/the-belly-book/) Last Tuesday Andy and I went to our doctor’s appointment for my first internal exam. The baby is head down at -3 station, and I’m 70% effaced, 1 cm dilated. Woo hoo! Head start on labor, right? Better than the baby being high and 0% effaced and 0 cm dilated. But no telling when he’ll actually be here. Andy thinks Baby Z will come next weekend.
Andy and I spent the weekend at Hidden Lakes Campground in Mt. Gilead. Thursday was our four year wedding anniversary and we wanted to get away. We refer to this little trip as our “babymoon” — the last time we’ll get away before the baby gets here. We had such a great time. We cooked brown bears, marshmellows and hobo pies on the fire. We took walks and went swimming. Andy grilled hotdogs and hamburgers. We watched movies at night. It was very relaxing and we had a lot of fun. We’re looking forward to taking Baby Z with us next time.
Tuesday morning we had another doctor’s appointment. My OB was on vacation so we saw another doctor in the practice. Her nurse called us back in the office. She said “Whoa!” when I stood up. She said she didn’t remember my belly “popping out” as far at the last visit. Andy and I haven’t really noticed much of a difference the last few weeks in my size. I’ve been measuring a little bigger than average, but within range.
The doctor came to measure my belly and I was still within range. She asked if I had felt any contractions and I told her no, that I thought I might have because my belly had been getting hard, but it was just the head or butt pushing against my ribs. I pulled up my shirt and laid back to have her check the heartbeat. When she saw my bare belly she said, “You are so lopsided!” She did confirm though that the head was down and it was the baby’s butt sticking out of my right side.
I tried to take a picture this morning to show how the baby favors my right side. This is the best I could do. Sometimes its even more exaggerated. Maybe I’ll catch a better shot another time but I think its pretty obvious. And no, I haven’t seen my feet or even my belly button in a while.
I had a wonderful baby shower on Saturday morning. There were so many generous people there! And lots of great food and stories galore! We got everything a baby might need plus tons of cute outfits. There were some special homemade gifts as well - a diaper cake, scrapbooks, appliquéd hooded towel, a quilt and custom screen printed onesies. It was all very special.
That night we spent with our friend Jake and his family. We cooked out, swam, the boys did some dirt bike riding and we watched a movie. Baby Z was awake for the whole movie. He was very active. It was a long day but so much fun!
On Sunday, Andy and I took the youth group to Zoombezi Bay. Every single part of the park had anti-pregnancy signs. But Andy talked to one of the lifeguards at the adults-only Croctail Creek and he had no problem with me being in the (freezing cold) water. We were the only ones in the water our first trip around, besides a mallard that came up quickly behind us and then flew away. It was so nice to just float around we did it twice.
For most of the rest of the afternoon I watched Andy enjoy some of the slides. He was pretty worn out by the late afternoon. We sat down to relax near the wave pool. When Andy got up to collect my water bottle and sunscreen from the other side of the park I was approached by a man with a bunch of questions about my pregnancy. He asked, “How much longer? First one? Is it a boy? Will you name him Jason? First one? (again) Is everything going okay so far? Healthy? Are you scared? C-section? Or go for it?” He was satisfied with my one word answers. I’m pretty sure he had been drinking. When Andy got back the man wished us good luck and left.
We lounged by the wave pool for about an hour before we met up with the youth. I couldn’t get quite comfortable. Andy fell asleep.
I think this is a really neat idea. Remember those “choose your own adventure” books? Today from whattoexpect.com I got an email with a link for choosing your own birth adventure. I’ve played it twice this morning. The first time through I ended up with an easy delivery in record time. Then the second time things progressed so slow that a c-section was recommended. You can play it here.
Yesterday Andy and I went to Riverside to a breastfeeding preparation class. It was very interesting and enlightening. There were four other moms there. It seemed that everyone was having a boy. Only one woman didn’t know what she was having but she was hoping for a boy. Two other woman had already done hospital tours this month and said that everyone on their tours was expecting boys. It was decided that there was something about the moon and the woman who didn’t know the gender could count on having a little boy. Must be that blue moon. ;-P
I was too narrow to deliver a big baby — which had been suggested at my early OB exam. The baby’s heart rate drop one time when they had me flat on my back but I was given oxygen and everything was fine. The doctor said I could labor some more but that a c-section was probably the best option at that point. After talking about it with Andy for a minute, we decided that would be best. Max came out 20 minutes after the decision to c-section at 11:40pm. He weighed 8 lbs 8 oz and was 21 inches long. We couldn’t be happier!
