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!  :)

37 Weeks - Almost there!

I have been terrible at keeping up with my blogging.  I know I promised every day, but it's been really tough to make time to sit down and record my thoughts.

I wanted to blog tonight because today (or, the 20th of June) is the day that I am officially 37 weeks.  This is an important milestone because if I'd gone into labor before this day, I would have been considered premature and Baby Finn would most likely have needed some additional care in the hospital.  I am so grateful I made it to this day.

Overall, I'm feeling good.  I am really trying to stay positive and focus on the fact that I'm almost 100% ready for him to arrive and that I have done a lot of good preparing for labor and delivery.

Here is a picture of me earlier in the week, I think I'm finally starting to look pregnant!  :)

I finally packed my bag (thanks for the prompting, Brookie...)  :)  and I even packed up my desk at work in case I go into labor and I'm not at work so someone else doesn't have to do it for me.  My bag is full of all of the things I will personally need at the hospital and for labor.  I've packed my birthing gown, bathroom supplies, a robe, and a few other things that are essential.

I also helped Arthur pack his "Daddy Doula" bag, which includes my essential oils, the head massager (the one that makes your whole body tingle), my rice heat pack that Arthur's mom made for me, and my scarves for labor support.  There are a few other things I'm not mentioning, but overall, we're mostly ready.

We've put away all of our stuff from the baby shower, which was a total success.  I'll try to blog about that tomorrow since it was so much fun.  There are a few last-minute things we need to get for his arrival, such as a wipes warmer. 

Work is wrapping up well, I have 3 days left in my current position, and then I start my new job next Wednesday.  I think I'll make it, I have good days and I have bad days with how I feel pregnancy-wise. 

How far along:  37 Weeks TODAY!
How much time left:  3 Weeks! (Or less... :) )

Top two symptoms:  My only symptom at this point is a backache that is pretty much going on all of the time.  It's pretty annoying, and I'm trying hard to ignore it and take Tylenol.  I'm looking forward to when this pain goes away, because it's pretty bad. 

Favorite thing I ate today:  Is it bad to say cupcakes?  I had some of those Hostess-like chocolate cupcakes from the machine at work.  The frosting is so good...

Mood:  I stayed really busy at work today so I was in a pretty good mood.  My back prevents me from being super happy at home, since I'm generally relaxing when I finally get there.  I hope to go to bed soon, it's 2:00 in the morning.  :(

Worried about:  As I get things done on my to-do list, I'm feeling much more prepared.  My worry is mostly that I'll go into labor and I won't know that it's happening.  I'm sure I'm being crazy, but it's a legitimate worry.  I also worry that my water will break and I will have to hope my labor begins within that golden window of opportunity.  I don't want to labor in the hospital, I want to do it at home.  I have my Midwife appointment tomorrow morning, so I will be asking her about my Group B Strep results.  I'm hoping and crossing my fingers that it will have come back negative so I don't have to have an IV in the hospital and so I can wait to come in after my water breaks.  I think my main concern is my water breaking at this point.  :)

Excited for:  I really am excited for it all to get started.  I'm not anxious, I'm mostly just looking forward to knowing that labor has begun and I don't have to stress about me just assuming it might be coming soon and I'm just psyching myself out.  I can't wait to jump into my Hypnobirth techniques and feel like I'm progressing in my labor. 

Happy Father's Day!

Today is Father's Day!  Arthur is still sleeping, because he gets to sleep in on his special day.  :)  I'm looking forward to making him breakfast in bed.  He will get a turkey omelet with cheese and peppers and hashbrowns!  I also have some sweet gifts to give him from me and Baby Finn.  I won't say what they are here in case he reads this before he opens them!

I like the fact that there are two isolated days during the year where we can celebrate being parents.  I think birthdays and anniversaries and Valentine's Day are all great reasons to celebrate special days.  When I woke up this morning, the first thought I had was that it was Arthur's first Father's Day!  I was really excited to get up and celebrate it with him.  As I've been sitting here thinking about what to write, I have had so many amazing things come to mind.  I thought it would be cool to share a little bit more about why I knew Arthur would be a great dad.

When we were dating, Arthur was always the most patient person with his sisters, cousins, nieces and nephew.  He never got frustrated with them or showed any sort of annoyance about how clingy they were with him.  He let them climb all over him like he was a jungle gym.  He just laughed and played right along with them.

During the first Christmas we spent together, Arthur and his family blew me away with how many amazing gifts they gave each other.  At first, I was a little intimidated, thinking "How will I ever keep up with this?!"  The piles and piles of presents for every person was something I'd never seen before.  I even had my own pile, and we hadn't even been dating officially for a month!  I know what you're thinking - That sounds so material and non-Christmas... but what I learned was this is one of the many ways his family shows each other love.  They spend a lot of time thinking about the perfect gifts that will make that person really happy.  Each gift is so thoughtful, it's never just a gift.  I thought as I opened my 12th (or something) gift on that Christmas that if Arthur is a dad, he will make sure his kids are not forgotten on any holiday.

Arthur is the hardest working person I've ever met.  I've seen people at some jobs where they are able to keep going all day, and never take a break.  Arthur really is this person.  A great example is just the other day at our baby shower with his family.  He woke up at 9:00 AM and started cooking and cleaning the house in preparation of the party.  He did not stop once to sit and rest.  He was on his feet all day.  I went to my Midwife appointment at 10:00 and when I got back, he'd transformed the upstairs into a tropical paradise for the party!  He kept working through until 6PM when his family arrived.

This is so typical of him.  He never likes to spend hours doing nothing, he is always being productive and making things better.  From home improvement, to our garden, to cooking, to cleaning... I always have an example in him to remind me that there is always something more I can do to stay productive.  This example and quality is going to be priceless when Finn is here.  Finn will never wonder if his dad has energy to do something with him.  He will always know that if he wants to go catch bugs or play outside or build Legos that Arthur is willing to do it with him.  Arthur's ability to stay busy is one of the main reasons why I married him. 

Arthur is ridiculously smart.  I had dated other guys in the past who struggled to maintain an intelligent conversation with me.  I am not shy to say that I really felt like I was smarter than most guys I had dated.  It was weird for me to finally spend time with someone who knew more about everything than I did.  I loved the challenge and the opportunity I had to learn more from Arthur.  Arthur's intelligence is not just knowing a lot of things.  He is confidently intelligent, which means that if he isn't sure about what to do about something, he doesn't let it stop him.  I on the other hand sometimes get frustrated and sit down to mentally think about why I can't figure something out.  Arthur just keeps thinking, keeps trying until he gets it right.  A prime example of this is all of the work he's done on our home.  He has finished virtually our entire basement.  It started out as an empty concrete room that spread across our whole basement.  There were no walls, no doors... just a big room.  He has turned it into an incredible living area - all on his own!  No one has had to come over and help him with the plumbing, or the wiring, or the drywall, or the framing, or the tiling.  You have to be smart to be able to do something like this.

Here is the basement in progress when he first started working on it:

 Here is the basement after, and before the furniture was put in:

 

Here is the downstairs bathroom before, just after he'd started framing the room and putting up the walls:

 Here is the finished product - he did it all on his own!

Not only is he smart about home improvement, he knows everything about animals.  He has created an incredible reef in the stone "fish fort" he built downstairs.  He can rattle off stats about how much salt needs to be in the water, or how the skimmer works, or how fish need a certain type of coral.  The complex set up he's made in his fish fort shows his ability to think intelligently.  I don't know if there's a book or a website out there that outlines step-by-step how to do what he's done.  I'm pretty sure he's had to just be smart about what the fish need, and figure it out.  I love that about Arthur!  When Finn is frustrated with a task or a project in the future, Arthur is going to be able to guide him and remind him that he can figure it out.

Arthur also loves Legos.  He can take any box of Legos, and no matter how complicated it is, he can get through it faster than any person I've ever met.  He not only builds Legos, but he loves to put things together.  Everyone who knows him knows that he is the best person to ask to help them put a bed together or put up some shelves.  He is so good at it, and he loves to do it.

Here is just a few of the Legos he has built:

Arthur is amazing at making things grow.  He has turned a desolate desert into a lush landscape.  When we moved into our home, we had nothing but rocks and dirt.  He has single-handedly (because I kill everything) created an oasis in our backyard where we can relax and look forward to letting Finn feel safe in the grass.

Here is the yard and our house as it was being built:

This is the front yard today, all of it was done by Arthur:

 Here is the backyard behind our house when we moved in:

 Here is the backyard oasis he has created:

There are so many other things I want to type here about how incredible Arthur is.  I think to narrow it down to one last thing that matters is that Finn will always know that Arthur loves me.  I have always felt like the most important love in a home is the love between a dad and a mom.  If the kids know that their parents love each other, then there will never be a question in their mind about their ability to love them.  Love is definitely a trait that can be an example.  When love is observed, it can be felt by the observer.  Arthur treats me with respect, he treats me with kindness and generosity.  He is intuitive about what I need.  I don't have to ask him for many things because he seems to just know.  In my nearly 10 years of knowing Arthur, I have not once worried about whether or not he loves me.  That has always been a for sure thing.  He always holds my hand, and he is patient with me when I want to be near him.  These things are crucial for a son to observe in his father.  Arthur is the best example of being a loving husband first and then a loving father.  Both are important, but without that foundation of a centered, happy marriage - a household will fall.  Everything stems from that, and I know Arthur will never show Finn anything else.  It is such a relief having this in my life, I really am the luckiest girl in the world - which means that Finn will be the luckiest son in the world.

Happy first Father's Day, Arthur!  You are the best daddy already.  Finn knows it, because he is happier when you are around.  When you are around, I am calmer, and happier, and Finn can feel how happy we are to have him coming here soon.  He can't wait for you to hold him and show him how amazing this world is.  He wants you to teach him how to build Legos, and put together a fish tank.  He wants to explore outside with you and learn how you make things in the garden grow. 

Finn and I love you very, very much!  Have a great day today!  You deserve it!  :)

30 days left!

Arthur and I have a  little countdown clock that tells us how many days are remaining in our countdown to our "guess date" of July 11.  Today, it says 30 days left!

 

Mostly I'm feeling really good, and trying to stay as positive as I can.  There are some moments where I feel overwhelmed, or sad, or tired... but for the most part, I try to remember how badly I wanted this and how ready I am to be a mom. 

I'm really excited for my baby shower this coming Friday, it's the last one before Baby Finn arrives.  Arthur and I are hosting it at our house, mainly because we want people to see our nursery since we've worked so hard to get it ready. 

Arthur was working on a baby shower game yesterday called The Price is Right.  He wants people to guess the prices for some of the items on our baby registry.  I thought it was cute that he was getting a game ready to go for the shower.  :)

I requested sugar cookies for one of the treat options at the shower because Arthur's mom makes the most delicious sugar cookies and frosting.  I can't wait to eat one!  Yum!

Arthur and I have continued to make sure we're practicing our Hypnobirthing techniques every night before bed.  Sometimes it's really difficult to get myself into a state of relaxation, but Arthur is really good at reminding me what to focus on and what to relax with.  I am really going to rely on him to keep me focused when I feel like I'm not able to stay relaxed.  I am so lucky to have someone who is as dedicated to the type of birth I want to have for my first baby. 

My next Midwife appointment is on Friday, I will be having them weekly now.  I will be tested for GBS (Group B Strep), and that will determine whether or not I need an IV antibiotic before I push my baby out.  I have been drinking a ton of water, and eating yogurt every day.  I'm not sure if that will help, but I know that I've been feeling good, with no problems so far... so I hope that I get a negative result. 

How far along:  35 Weeks, 5 Days
How much time left:  4 Weeks, 2 Days

Top two symptoms:  When I'm at work, it's a backache from sitting in my work chair.  When I'm at home, it's usually exhaustion or backache.  Today I've been pretty tired, but that might just be because I haven't had my nap today.  :)

Favorite thing I ate today:  An ice cream bar from Skinny Cow.  It's chocolate with salted caramel and pretzel chunks with vanilla ice cream.  So good!

Mood:  I felt a bit down last night, and tonight I'm feeling much more balanced.  Every day is different.  As I get past the last few milestones at work before I move to my new role/prepare for maternity leave, it takes stress away. 

Worried about:  I'm starting to worry about whether or not I will be ready when he gets here.  There are still a few things I want to do before he arrives, such as making some playlists for my Hypnobirthing, and packing my bag for the hospital.  I know I can't do a lot of packing this far in advance, because I need most of the stuff I'll be packing... I just need to be patient and attack the things that are most important right now. 

Excited for:  Friday's baby shower.  I'm excited for everyone to see Finn's nursery and I'm looking forward to seeing all of Arthur's family.  We made some cute invitations and paper mailed them to a few people who didn't respond on Facebook.  I really hope everyone who we invited can come.  :)  If you weren't invited, and you'd like to come, let me know by sending me a Facebook message and I'll add you to the baby shower group.  :)

Weekend Recap - Saturday and Sunday

So, to continue with my weekend recap!  I didn't get a chance to blog yesterday, and for that I apologize.  I know I committed to every day this month, but some nights I get so tired!  That's pretty normal for being 8+ months pregnant, right?  ;)

So on Saturday morning, Arthur and I were able to sleep in a bit.  I woke up around 8 because I heard my niece Brielle out in the living area talking.  There is nothing better than waking up to that.  :)  I went out there and hung out with her for a little while.  Arthur woke up and we ate breakfast.  My mom made some really good pancakes and scrambled eggs.  I loved the pancake... it was so good!

A little later that morning, my brother and his wife showed up with my nephew Jackson.  They decided to go swimming, so I watched them do that for awhile. 

Around noon, we all had a lunch of turkey sandwiches and chips.  I had one, it was delicious.  We then all got ready and headed out to Heber to go on the Heber Creeper railroad.

We arrived and waited for them to allow us to board the train.  We got on and found a seat in the oldest car.  As we went on the ride, it was pretty warm, but the breeze coming in through the windows was good.  I loved watching how excited Jackson got as he rode the train.

The whole train ride was about 90 minutes long, and when we got back my family and I drove up to Main Street in Heber to go to a restaurant called the Dairy Keen.  We waited in line and ordered our food.  I got a cheeseburger and French fries.  We took our food across the street to the park since there wasn't a lot of room in the dining area at the restaurant.  We sat at the pavilion and ate our dinner.  It was really good, and I appreciated being able to eat something... pregnancy makes you hungry!

After we ate, Arthur and I left the park a few minutes before the family because we needed to get food for breakfast in the morning, since we were cooking.  We went back to Park City and stopped at the Fresh Market.  We got eggs, potatoes, turkey sausage and bread for French toast. 

We got back to the condo and put the food away and hung out with the family.  We played some games, but I couldn't stay up too late because I was pretty tired. 

The next morning, I woke up at around 9 and got Arthur up to make breakfast.  We made cinnamon raisin French toast, white French toast, turkey sausage patties and shredded hashbrowns.  Everyone commented about how delicious everything was.  I was happy to get to cook for my family.  Arthur did a lot of the work, but I helped a little.  :)

After breakfast, I took an hour nap and got up to play some more games.  We all played Wacky 6s and that was really fun.  Sitting in the chairs at the table hurt my back, though... so I had 3 pillows for support. One behind my back, and two in front to support my stomach.  Ugh!

After we played games, Arthur said he wanted to go for a walk to the main square of Park City by the Alpine Slide.  I got ready and we walked down with my mom, my sister, my brother and his wife along with their kids.  Brielle couldn't go because she was napping.  She had not been feeling well the day prior, so it was good that she rested.

We all walked around and checked out the activities.  I'd love to come back some day and take Finn on some of the fun rides and stuff. 

We all walked back up to the condo and Arthur and I packed to go because we needed to get back in time to clean up the house a bit and do laundry before a new week.

We said goodbye to everyone and headed back to our home.

When we got there, we prepared dinner and watched some TV.  While we were eating, the power went out and we were really surprised, because the power rarely ever goes out.  We have underground powerlines, so it is very uncommon for it to happen.  We called the power company and they confirmed that there was an issue with a fuse.  The power came on after about an hour of being off.  Phew!

That night we did laundry and got ready for a new week.  Overall, the weekend went by really fast but it was really fun to spend some time with my family away from home.  :)

Weekend Recap - Friday

I wasn't able to get to a computer on Friday to update, and I was out of town for the weekend with my family so updating was really tough yesterday.  I wanted to make sure to blog today so I could at least catch up.  :) 

Friday was a good day, I was able to work from home in the morning.  I really appreciate that I have that benefit with my job so I can have a day in the week that I don't have to rush to get to work super early.  I normally get to work on Monday through Thursday at 7:30 AM and work until 6 because Arthur works 4 10 hour shifts, and we carpool.  So by the time Friday rolls around every week, I've already worked 40 hours as it is.  I love that I can chill out a bit some Fridays and get caught up on a few things.

Some good news related to my job that I haven't yet posted... I applied for a position working on a team that manages the knowledgebase at my job.  The knowledgebase (or KB for short) is a tool that teammates use when they take calls to look up answers for common questions the customers ask when they call eBay.  I applied for the job a couple of months ago and the hiring process was a bit slow, because they were posting it in Europe too.  I was able to pass the first interview round, which was with the person who would be my boss, and his boss.  I also passed the second round, which was a written assignment to see how well I would do actually working the job.  The last round was with a couple of the people who are already on the team.  I was offered the job just before Memorial Day weekend.  I was so excited to hear that I'd gotten it!

I will work in my current position until June 26th, and then I will move into my new role until I go out for maternity leave.  I will admit, it will be nice to not have to worry about my work here while I go out.  I am the type to stress about making sure everything is going smoothly while I'm away from the office... and being in a new position will force me to not stress because I won't to know too much about the job as it is, only be in the role for a couple of weeks until my due date.

I will be out on maternity leave for 6 weeks, and then I will take 6 weeks off for what is called "bonding time".  It's an optional benefit I can take, but it is unpaid.  I will then take 4 more weeks off for my 5 year eBay sabbatical.  Once you have worked for eBay for 5 years, the company gives you 4 weeks off, completely paid, on top of your normal Paid Time Off accrual.  I ended up saving mine back at the end of 2012, which was my 5th year.  I wanted to add it onto my maternity leave so I would have 16 consecutive weeks off to spend with my baby.  I'm so lucky to be able to have this time, and I'm definitely going to take advantage of it.  :)

Anyways, back to the updates.  So after work on Friday, Arthur and I went to our 35 week doctor's appointment with our Midwife.  I was excited to hear Finn's heartbeat and check in to make sure things were looking good.  We went in and waited for a bit, but not as long as I had to wait for my previous OB at past appointments.  She was really tired because she had been on call all day before and the previous night, and then had to come to the clinic for day appointments.  She was still attentive and remembered everything she needed to, which I appreciated.  Having no sleep and working two days in a row is really tough, I know.  She answered my two questions that I had and checked his heartbeat.  My questions were about the position he is in as well as about his hiccups. 

She had me lie on the table and she felt my stomach to locate where he was.  She confirmed that he is head down and his back is facing my right side.  She also told me that hiccups are totally normal, and are good practice for his diaphragm and lungs.  I felt great after hearing these two answers from her.  She measured me and my fundal height was at 34-35cm, which means he is measuring right around where he should be for 35 weeks. 

We left our appointment and went to have a late lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Sandy because Arthur had a Groupon.  It was really good, and the servings were big.  I had a beef burrito with beans and rice on the side.  Arthur had a seafood burrito with shrimp.  We then got ready to head up to Park City to meet up with my family.

My mom and Dad had traded their timeshare weeks to get a few units in Park City for the week.  Because I have to work all week next week, I told them we would only be able to stay Friday and Saturday nights.  I was really sad to not be able to stay the whole time, but I figured I would give as much time as I could.

We arrived up there around 6:30 or so and got unpacked and settled.  My sister and her husband and kids arrived around 8 or so and we all had pizza and stayed up and talked.  I shared a bunch of my Hypnobirthing information with my sister, and I was really grateful to hear she'd like to try it on her next pregnancy.  She is very into natural medicine, and so I figured some of the information I had to share would be interesting to her. 

We went to bed pretty late, around 12:30 AM, which is the latest I've gone to bed in awhile.  I was pretty tired, but Arthur and I still made time to practice our Hypnobirth breathing and a script as I went off to sleep. 

I'll be posting Saturday's update soon!  Check back!

 

My Favorite Hypnobirth Video

I've done great with updating my blog every day this month!  I don't always post that I've updated on Facebook, so I suggest that you bookmark my blog and check back if you're interested in reading it without notification.  :)  My URL is http://theminersonline.blogspot.com/

Anyway, on to the topic for the day!  :)  Every night before bed, Arthur and I are practicing our Hypnobirth exercises.  It's crucial that I am able to move into a state of complete relaxation when I start having my early labor contractions.

I find that breathing and relaxing is really easy for me, and so I feel like my Hypnobirth will be successful.  One of the first examples I saw of Hypnobirthing was on YouTube.  I found a really great example of a hospital Hypnobirth when I was first researching it. 

Some of the things that really stood out to me was the fact that she was so far dilated, and she wasn't screaming in pain or on her back.  I also was surprised that she wasn't holding her breath during pushing.  This was really different from all of the stories I had heard of birthing.  How would the baby even move if she wasn't bearing down?  I didn't understand.

Now that I've been through the class, and I understand how breathing can deliver the baby for you, it is something I am really excited for.

The other thing I loved about this example was how alert the baby was after, and how agile the mom is, walking around so freely and not hurting or exhausted.  I will have this!

I decided to share this cool video of my favorite hospital Hypnobirth example.  Let me know what you think!