Turn a Negative into a Positive!

Today marked a very important milestone in my journey towards a natural Hypnobirth.  In previous posts, you may remember me mentioning that I was tested for Group B Strep last week.  Group B Strep is a bacteria that can exist on your skin that is normally present and harmless.  If this bacteria is present in your birth, it can be passed onto your baby as he is being born and it can cause infection.  For women who are tested positive for Group B Strep, they are required to get an IV after their water breaks.  The IV contains antibiotics so it can protect the baby from the bacteria.
This is significant to me because I have always seen my labor going in two different directions, based on whether or not I turn out to be Group B Strep positive.  If I am positive, then that means that as soon as my water breaks, I have to go to the hospital and start my antibiotic IV - regardless of whether or not I am in labor.  If I haven't had any contractions, it could mean that I spend a lot of time laboring without the resources I was looking for, which is an untethered experience where I can take a bath or walk around and move freely.  If I am negative, then if my water breaks, I can stay at home for up to 24 hours with the hopes that I am able to progress in my dilatation so I can spend the least amount of time possible in the hospital before I am at a 10.  I worked really hard in imagining the possibilities of the two paths to be positive in either sense... although I worried a lot about how I was going to manage through with an IV knowing how much I wanted to be able to move freely as I labored.  I also didn't want to rush into the hospital.  To be completely honest, I was really stressed about it.  

I was tested for the bacteria on Friday last week by my Midwife, and she told me that my results would be available a week later, or today.  I went into my appointment today with Arthur knowing that I would find out as soon as we went back.  They called my name and Arthur and I went back to get my vitals.  They weighed me, and I had gained 3 lbs in 1 week.  Yikes!  Finn is growing and so am I.  This is ok because I know that I can't beat myself up for something that I have little control over.  She then took my blood pressure, and told me it was on the lower end, which is good.  She then asked me if I wanted to know my Group B Strep results.  I nearly screamed YES!

She fumbled for a second trying to find them and mumbled a bit about how they have had trouble over the past few days getting the results quickly from the lab.  She then said that she had found them.  She says "It looks like you are negative!  Congratulations!"  I started to cry.  I was so happy.  I saw my entire natural birth flash before my eyes and I was overjoyed.  It was as if I had won the lottery.  Arthur laughed at me a bit because of how emotional I got, but I can blame the hormones.  :)

The rest of the day I have been on cloud 9.  All of the stress I was feeling about my water breaking, and about being able to labor in a tub, and having to have an IV was gone.

This experience has reinforced my desire to be successful in my goal for a natural Hypnobirth.  Instead of feeling anxious and nervous about Finn getting ready to be here, I am just now more excited.  It's almost like a surprise, like waiting for something I'm wanting to come in the mail, or that feeling you get when you're meeting a blind date for the first time.  Is that a crazy comparison?  I don't know if I care, I'm just happy that today was such a great day!  :)

Feeling Better!

Morning everyone!  I had a rough day yesterday.  The highlight of my day was getting so many wonderful comments and messages from my friends and family about my pain management concerns.  You all shared ideas with me that I had never even thought about yet.  The internets are so amazing, aren't they!?  I don't trust most online forums, but when I have people I know, love and trust sharing their experiences with me, it makes is so much easier to know what I want and need.

This is tough to go through for your first time, without a lot of unbiased help.  Thankfully, I have an amazing husband who is patient and supportive of my decisions.  He guides me with advice that reminds me that I should always think about the healthy options first, before I think about anything else.  That is why I am so lucky.

When it comes to the path I will take for pain management and childbirth, I've decided to look at as many options that I can outside of the traditional OB delivery experience.  I know I love baths, and I know that I have a strong mind.  I will probably call the American Fork hospital later today and set up a tour to see what options they have for undecided mothers like me.  I know that knowledge is power, and so I need to more completely educate myself to help eliminate some of this anxiety.  Once I've done that, I feel like I can set up my birth plan.  Halfway through pregnancy is a good time to do it, right?  I also want to register for some birthing classes, so Arthur and I can be as prepared as possible. 

I am feeling so much better today.  Last night on my way home I stopped and got some Vick's Vaporub and some earplugs.  Part of my problem is congestion waking me up and then little sounds keeping me awake, such as my cats, or even the sound of Arthur breathing next to me.  It's awful.  I think I was blessed with my mom's light sleeping ability, which will work wonders when I have my Finn here.  :)  I know, I know... "it only gets worse, Genevieve!"

I just have to get him here safely, without a cold.  :)

Last night I came home from work and put my head down at the kitchen table and just cried, because I was so tired of feeling sick and wanting so much to just feel like I am normal again.  Arthur was very patient with me, and he took my coat off and helped me stand up.  I got some dinner and went downstairs to watch TV with him.  Obviously, I fell asleep pretty quick after some Vick's.  My sinus cleared up and I slept until it was bedtime.  I only woke up once in the night, at 4:30 to go to the bathroom.  This is an every night thing.  So to my friends who love to get uninterrupted sleep, pregnancy will always wake you up at least once or twice a night to pee.  Awesome.

Because I had my earplugs, I was able to go back to sleep and even slept through Arthur's alarm.  This was planned, of course because I knew I needed to sleep at least until 7 to get caught up.  It was so nice.

How far along:  17 Weeks, 6 Days
How much time left:  22 Weeks, 1 Day

Top two symptoms:  Some congestion and I'm sure I'll have a headache later today.  Yesterday I was super, super emotional.  I have been pretty good at not crying at the drop of a hat with these hormones, but yesterday I had no control.  I think I cried 4 times. 

Favorite thing I ate today:  Because it's early in the morning, I haven't eaten much.  I've got my Green Tea with Jasmine here and some cereal.  I'm looking forward to some delicious food later today, not quite sure what it is yet.  I have been really enjoying Raspberry chocolate shakes from Arctic Circle.  The raspberries they put in are fresh, and it is just delicious.

Mood:  I'm a lot happier this morning because I got enough rest and I am not as congested.  I also appreciate that my throat is feeling better.  I hope the happy mood lasts.  :)  I felt so bad for Arthur last night because I was so sad, and so grumpy.  He is so good, he did all of the dishes and even scratched my back.  Ladies, you need to make sure your husband treats you like a queen when you're pregnant (or even when you're not.)  I am so lucky.  :)

Worried about:  I'm not as worried today as I was yesterday.  I am maybe a little anxious about getting the research on alternative birthing methods going.  I am lucky to have a great friend who is willing to go with me when I tour the hospital.  She also is trying, and so it will be interesting to her as well in case she gets pregnant soon.  (Fingers crossed!!!)  :)

Excited for:  My doctor's appointment on Friday.  I had a funny dream that I had twins, and one of them was a girl.  I know this isn't the case, because I'd be so much bigger this far along, but it was still funny to feel those weird emotions in my dream.  I hope the doctor decides to do an ultrasound!  :)

Not Again...

Happy Monday!  Although, today was not too happy.  :(  I think I'm getting sick again.  I had a scratchy throat a bit over the weekend, and last night I woke up at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 AM with so much throat pain that I had to get up and take a Tylenol.

I also ate an orange and drank some water, hoping that it would help me go back to sleep.  I was able to fall back asleep around 4:15 or so, and then I had to wake up again at 5:30 to get ready for the day.  We are out of sugar, so I couldn't make my normal cup of Green Tea with Jasmine.  I still had the tea, but used honey instead.  I guess that's probably better for me anyway, and for my throat.  It just wasn't as sweet as I am used to.

At work, I was feeling pretty good, until around lunchtime.  My congestion is starting to get bad, which tells me this is another standard cold.  I can still breathe out of one nostril... for now.  I was able to leave a bit early today (around 1:00) and I came home and worked for the last few hours of my day.  I fell asleep around 3:30 and woke up when Arthur got home around 6:15.  I felt a bit better at that point.

I'm pretty worried about tomorrow because I have a lot of meetings, from 8AM to 6PM.  It's going to be a very busy day.  I hope I feel ok.  I can't really miss work right now because I don't have any more paid time off.  :(  I am going to try my hardest tonight to rest and not to push myself too hard tomorrow, if I can.

Ok, I have a question for all of the moms out there that have already had a baby.  I am worried about the pain of childbirth, and I struggle to understand how anyone can say "it's not that bad" when talking about their first.  Has anyone who reads my blog had a natural first time childbirth?  I know it's possible, because a lot of the women in my life who are older than me are very confident that it is completely possible with your first.  I have a few options that I am going to research more, such as hypnobirth.  Hypnobirth is a method that is used by midwives to help women mentally get through the process with no pain at all.  I watched a video on it on YouTube.  It seemed very interesting, and I'm willing to try it if I feel I can do it.

I'm open to your comments and suggestions, for a first time mom.  I'm interested to know how many of you had a natural childbirth for your first, and how many of you didn't.  If you didn't, please tell me how your baby reacted to the epidural, because I think that's a big concern.  If the baby comes out asleep, or not able to function, or dies from an epidural, I don't think I would be able to live with myself.  Please help...

How far along:  17 Weeks, 4 Days
How much time left:  22 Weeks, 3 Days

Top two symptoms:  Today because of my cold I had a headache and exhaustion.  I also have really bad congestion and a sore throat.  Not really pregnancy symptoms, but symptoms all the same.

Favorite thing I ate today:  I had my first pickle craving as a pregnant woman.  I ate 3 dill pickle spears.  They were so good!  But they didn't make me feel so good... :(  I'm still craving more.  Ugh!

Mood:  At work this morning, I felt really rushed and stressed.  After I was able to get through all of my meetings, I felt more calm.  I worried about getting sick and possibly missing work... and I can't do that.  I hope that I'm feeling better soon.  My mood when I'm sick is always awful, and I feel bad for Arthur because he has to deal with grumpy and pregnant me.

Worried about:  I worry about making the right decision for my baby with childbirth and managing the pain.  I know I've been through a ton in my short life when it comes to surgeries and handling pain.  I just don't know how I'm going to feel for my first birth and how strong I am going to be with getting through it all.  I know I shouldn't be scared, but I am.

Excited for:  The weekend.  Is that bad, since it's only Monday?  :)