Tuesday, June 9, 2009

38 weeks pregnant!

Monday June 8th,
Made it to 5pm!

Tuesday June 9th,
Off to the midwifes today- more later.

Well I am back and not the greatest news but could be worse.

I am Group B Strep positive which means our homebirth will have one extra step requiring me to go to the hospital once labour has started or waters have broken and receive an IV with antibiotics. After I receive my first dose the iv thing remains in my hand, I go home and will receive a dose every 4 hours to prevent passing it on to the baby. My temperature will be monitored to insure I do not develop a fever (very rare) and my waters will not be allowed to have been broken for longer than 18 hours.
This is the exact protocol for the hospital as well. I have been reassured that this is not an uncommon situation as 25% of women are positive and it is not considered an emergency situation- I will just be more closely monitored . Antibiotics is the only preventative as it can be passed to baby even by c-section.

My blood pressure was up today to 80 but I am thinking it was because I was just told I has GBS. Baby is measuring at 35.5 weeks which puts me at the 50 percentile. That means Junebug is dead average. 1/2 of babies are bigger, 1/2 of babies are smaller. This is not official but at 35.5 weeks the baby would typically weigh about 6lbs as per google so maybe this baby won't be so big...or not. Never the less the midwifes will check again next week and might have an ultrasound to check it out just to insure the growth is continuing.

Midwife says baby's head is nice and low. If my cervix is soft next week my midwife may sweep the membrane. This means during the exam the midwife/dr will separate the amniotic sac from the cervix using their fingers. This increases the change of labour within 48hours.

I got lots of exercise today. 2 hours of walking to and from appointment(although slooooow walking) and after a nice 1/2 hr swim to loosen up. I feel like jello now and am going for a nap.

Wednesday June 10th,

Well after careful consideration and a sleepless night I called the midwife this morning and asked her if for my peace of mind we could schedule my ultrasound for this week instead of a wait and see next week. She let me know she is not very concerned but she is going to book this week an ultrasound and a non-stress test (NST) for my benefit. I know myself and I think I would like the additional reassurance that everything is ok for our 1st homebirth. With GBS positive there is not much we can do but follow procedure but if there was anything else wrong that we could know about in advance I would want to know our options.

I will wait for the hospital to call back for scheduling. Midwife said probably on Thurs or Friday. This is good because usually the tech cannot tell you anything so by next appointment on Tuesday (39 weeks) we should have a response.

If you haven't heard the news Grandma Still bought a house yesterday!!!!!! We are so excited to have a new place to move into.......uh I mean visit. LOL
Hopefully at Christmas when Uncle Wade is visiting from Japan we will have a chance to go to Calgary and check out the new diggs.

UPDATE- Ultrasound and NST booked for Friday at lunchtime

Thursday June 11th,

Well today was one of the days I had in my head for Junebug to arrive (sorry S.O.L. not even a hiccup of a contraction) the other is June 25th so we will see. Today was nice- my friend Shandel came for lunch and I put a coat of plaster on the belly casting so that I can sand it to a finer finish in a couple days (fingers crossed). On a stupid note- I forgot to reapply. By that I mean I got sunburnt today -so stupid. I get very focused when working on projects and this one bit me in the ass. I hope it goes away before the birth because warm birthing pool + sunburn sounds awful!

Today is my last prenatal class so I should now officially know everything to do with childbirth (I say this laughing hysterically). I must say the classes were much, much more helpful than I would have imagined but regardless Junebugs birth will happen however it is meant to happen. I can just hope to be armed with a bit of knowledge. I know that Adam thoroughly enjoyed the classes and honestly I think I will miss them too and not just because of snack time cookies.

Friday June 12th,
We are back from the hospital.
Baby is weighing about 6.5 lbs so only a tiny, tiny bit underweight so those who have bets going this baby will likely be in the 7lbs(+) range at birth. YAY- no fat sugar baby! The head is very, very low the tech said. The ultrasound pic of the face is terrifying because it is smooshed to the side in my pelvis. Imagine a big gaping mouth pulled to the side- AHHH! Profile shots from 20weeks were much cuter! Baby is still ROA and is faced directly left. My placenta is actually in the back on my left side which means it has drifted left in the last 20 weeks as my uterus has grown. My amniotic fluid is a bit low but I am going to try to drink an extra lot of liquid even though I feel like I am always drinking as the heat might have affected the levels. This is likely what effected the fundal height measurement showing me behind a couple weeks. The head circumference in 31cm so think about that coming out! Junebugs legs are tucked up to its tummy and arms tucked under chin. At the non-stress test the baby was sleeping but eventually with a change of position we got Junebug to wake up and be as reactive as they would like to see.
Heartbeat was averaging 150bpm and my blood pressure was down 5 points!
In other news as mentioned before last night was our last prenatal class. Mid August we will have a potluck reunion at our house for all of the babies. 10babies in our backyard oy! At least we won`t be responsible for supplying the food- breastmilk smorgasboard.

Adam thinks I have lost weight since leaving the desk job- I think it is from the baby dropping. See for yourself (excuse the messiness I was sanding the plaster)
before

after! (what exactly is the difference Adam?)


Saturday June 13th,

5am.
Junebug is doing some serious practicing. I went to bed nauseous last night around 12:30am. I now think I am having contractions(?) Nausea is gone I think I slept it off. I am being woken up by what can be described as a peroid cramp/back pain. It is coming every 5 or mins (not timing yet) but the actual duration is less than 30 sec. It woke me up a while ago but I forced myself back to sleep. At this point although mild I don't think there is enough time in between to sleep. Heres another one!
....PS Nausea is back! arg

I am letting Adam sleep for now in case it fizzles out. Once it becomes more regular I'll get him up on a Tim Horton's run.

5:50am contactions are 4 1/2 mins apart lasting almost 1 min. I just came back from a walk with Lily to help keep things moving. I left a note for Diane to see me when she is up before work. This could stilll fizzle out so ...wow that contraction caught me off guard... 1min 1sec long and strong....anyways it could fizzle out at any time before active labour

8am owwwww.

10 comments:

sandra/mom/grandma said...

OK............Grandma Still is going to take a little time to get used to. I thought you were talking about my mother buying a house at first!

What an exciting time....house,baby!

I am just happy that I am the one getting the house and not the baby!
Been there, done that, you'll love it!

Mischa's mom said...

Hi Mischa! Hi Adam! I am in San Diego at a workshop and I have just returned to the hotel after spending 3 hours at the San Diego Zoo.

I bought a little book for JuneBug and some itty bitty lion booties. Too cute!

I understand your concerns, Mischa. I would want the ultrasound, etc sooner rather than later. No point in needless worrying.

I will be checking in everyday - keep me informed as to what is happening.

Love
Mischa's mom in San Diego ^_^

Mischa's mom said...

Thanks for posting today . . . I am really getting excited! I am so sorry about the sunburn . . . maybe it's not too bad, and it will heal quickly.

If Junebug is born on June 25, she/he will still be quite small when we come in August . . . that would be great 'cause I think babies are so cute when they are tiny - like little kittens.

What will you do with your belly cast? I mean, what do women usually do with them? (I keep thinking it might make an interesting bird bath, but I suspect that's not what you have in mind ^_^ )

Man . . . I can hardly wait for Junebug to come - and I not the one who is pregnant! How can you stand it? ^_^

Hey Adam, thanks for taking good care of my girl . . .

love,
Mischa's mom still in San Diego.

sandra/mom/grandma said...

Glad to hear the results of the ultrasound were positive.

Did you know Adam weighed 6lb. 7oz. when he was born? He was my smallest.

I was thinking about you two all day today. Today my dad would have been 76 if he were still with us. A sentimental day!

Love you guys lots!

Mischa's mom said...

Well, Mischa - you were a perfect 7.5 lbs, 22 inches - so was Miki (though she fussed and cried so much, she actually lost weight the first week . . .)

So Junebug will be a perfect size, just like his/her mommy ^_^

Currently, I am in the lobby of the Town and Country Resort. The workshop is over, and tonight at 10:44 pm PDT I fly the red-eye to Chicago, with a 4 hour layover, then fly to Bradley Airport (just south of Springfield) - so Junebug - don't do anything sudden until I get home.

Take care . . . remember how much we love you both - and Junebug too.

Love, Mischa's mom in San Diego.

Mischa's Mom and Corben's Nana said...

I knew I should have checked this blog when I arrived home from San Diego!

Well, I will be the first on the blog to say "Happy Birthday!" (literally!) to Corben Hunter Thorhawg (hope I spelled your name correctly . . . your dad did very patiently spell it to me - but he phoned at midnight my time and I had just gone to sleep after having only 4 hours sleep in 30 hours. Boy! Was I happy to get that phone call ^_^)

Anyway, Corben, I am sure your mom will let me know if I have it wrong. Meanwhile, tomorrow I am buying a birthday cake with your name on it - even though you are too small and too far away to have any. Grandpa Dave and Nana Beth will share some of your birthday cake with Auntie Miki and her boyfriend, Roland. Do you like chocolate? ummmmm . . . probably too early to tell. Most people like chocolate, so you probably will too. So maybe a chocolate cake.

Now, about your mom. She was a great baby. Man, Corben, you have a lot to live up to - 'cause she was such an angel! So, you be an angel for my girl. Mommy is probably a bit tired, but I can assure you, you would be very hard pressed to find a more devoted mother. Honestly, she even took a plaster cast of your first home!

Oh, Mommy also has a great singing voice, so I expect she will sing lots of songs to you. Does your daddy sing? Well, you might have heard him singing at some point . . . Your mom and dad are both great readers, so I expect they will read you lots of lovely books. Make sure they read you Harry Potter (well, not right now, but when you are older - you will love the series!)

Grandpa Dave, Auntie Miki, Roland (Auntie Miki's boyfriend), and I are coming all away across the continent just to see you! See what an important little guy you are already? We can't see you right away which is sad, 'cause I just know you are as cute as can be! But, we will see you in about 7 weeks. Is there anything you want me to pick up for you along the way?

Grandpa Dave is just as pleased as he can be to have a grandson. I think he felt a bit outnumbered in a household full of women ^_^
So, tomorrow, besides a birthday cake, I am going to buy you some birthday presents - all the cool clothes I wanted to buy, but had to wait until I knew if you were a boy or a girl.

Do you think we should get something nice for Mommy? I mean, she did go through a lot of work. . . and Daddy too (what a guy! Daddy is soooo happy!) Well, lots of fun for tomorrow.

I hope you, and Mommy, and Daddy are sleeping well. I think that tomorrow you will go home and meet Lily and Calim. That should be interesting. . Here's a clue - don't pull the tails. . . ^_^

I will call Mommy and Daddy (maybe when we are eating your birthday cake!)

Love and kisses,
Nana Beth

UNCLEBryn&Laurie said...

HE'S A HOG!!! CONGRATULATIONS to all of you and we can't wait for some photos
LOTS OF LOVE
UNCLE BRYN & Laurie

Nana Beth, Mischa's mom said...

Okay, Corben . . . I bought the chocolate cake, just like I said I would. ^_^

Grandpa Dave is cleaning up the kitchen and in a little while we will cook dinner - and then we will celebrate your birth with (well, what else?) birthday cake!

Grandpa Dave will take picture of the cake (it even has your name on it!) It will have two candles for 2 days old ^_^

I don't think I can post the pictures to this blog - but I will send pictures of your cake (and maybe of us enjoying it) to your mum's email address.

I sure hope we get some pictures of you pretty soon. Well, I know your mum and dad have been very busy, and there are just sooooo many friends and family to get in touch with, so they don't have time to think about pictures immediately. Right now they are just soooooo happy to have you ^_^

Now, do be a good lad, and try not to fuss toooo much. Mommy needs a bit of a break and so does Daddy. Honestly, if you just curl up, and snuggle down, and sleep sweetly, they will be sooooo thrilled. There won't be many times in life when folks will be so thrilled by you snoozing, so take advantage of it while you can.

Rats! I have to go off-line 'cause there is a thunderstorm approaching and the computer needs to be turned off.

I will talk to you later. Smile for Mommy and Daddy (even if it is just gas) . . . .it will keep them guessing!

Love Nana Beth who loves chocolate cake ^_^

sandra/mom/grandma said...

Congratulations Adam and Mischa on your beautiful baby boy!
Mischa if you're with a Thorhaug it's boys all he way! Trust me!lol

I can't wait to see little Colben Hunter.I hear he is beautiful.....but of course, look at his parents!:)

Time to start shopping so I can spoil him rotten in three weeks when I will get to see him.

Hope to see some pictures on here soon.

Love Mom

Nana Beth/ Mischa's Mom said...

Oh, Colben, my apologies - see? I thought Nana might have spelled your name incorrectly. Well, we'll just pretend that the "r" was just a "very little" "l" ^_^

Anyway, just finished talking with your mom. Man, oh, man! She must really love you! (Of course she does! So does Daddy) Anyway, try to let Mommy sleep - like a lot of sleep for the next three months or so. Well, actually, you both could use a lot of sleep for the next three months.

You should know that Mommy takes things quite seriously. That is, your Mommy tries to do the very best when she takes on a job. So, you can be absolutely assured Mommy will take the same approach to being a parent. Sometimes this might seem a bit irksome (especially some time around age 14 and older), but I doubt you will anyone who will be more devoted to your happiness and wellbeing than you Mommy and Daddy.

You know, your Daddy is a swell guy. He has always taken such good care of your Mommy. You should watch him closely; he can teach you a lot about caring for women ^_^

We had some of the cake - it was really good! Of course, we can't save any for you; it will be almost a year before we can let you have real cake. Hummmm . . . I guess that means we will have to eat it all up ourselves . . .

Now, we did discover a few more things about you - like the hour you were born. But we don't know what the weather was like in Victoria on June 13. I will have to look it up on the Weather Channel. Or how long you are . . .

Once Mommy and Daddy have a bit of a rest, I am sure they will post lots and lots of pictures of you.

Now, I want you to sleep tight tonight. Grandpa Dave and I are sending all the warm thoughts and good vibes we can across 3000 miles. Just think of how many people love you and are delighted that you are here! So, really, you should be very happy, calm, and relaxed. Always remember that you are very loved.

Night night,
Nana Beth in Springfield