Bradley Birth - Class #5

We started class last night with the ladies reminding their husbands where they tense up first and where they like to get massaged. Jeff and I have this down since I am constantly asking him for shoulder rubs. Next we watched a video of a water birth, which is not really an option in NC if you're delivering in a hospital, but it was still good to see. It really helps to see a video each week so that we know what to expect. The babies look so different when they are first born!

The topic of the night was the first stage of labor. I didn't know this before pregnancy, but there are three stages of labor, with the first stage being everything up until the mother begins pushing (stage 2). We learned that the average first stage labor for a new mom is 15-17 hours. We also learned that you can stay at home during most of this stage, only going to the hospital when the contractions get to a certain point. This may seem odd, but Laura said if you go to the hospital too early they will just send you home.

Laura then went over how we will probably feel emotionally and physically during this time, which is hard to relate to at this stage of the game, but I'm sure we'll be glad someone told us what to expect. For example, at first you're really excited, then you get serious and concentrate, and then you say you can't do it....which ironically means you're almost done.

Jeff's coach's tip was if I say that I can't do it anymore to tell me that I can do it and I am doing it. These tips seem pretty cheesy now, but I guess encouragement is good during labor.

Next week we cover the second stage of labor....

Belly Gallery - 30 Weeks

30 Weeks

26 Weeks

Happy New Year

Looks like my Friday blog is turning into my 'sometime during the weekend' blog. Well, better late than never.

Today is the start of the Chinese New Year - the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar. Since the traditional Chinese calendar is partly based on phases of the moon, the New Year falls on the day of the second new moon after the day on which the winter soltice occurs. So, the New Year doesn't always fall on Jan. 29th, but somewhere between late January and mid-February (note: I just read this stuff online).

Each Chinese year is associated with one of twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac. This year is the Year of the Dog. According to Chinese folklore, each animal is associated with certain personality traits. People born in this year are loyal, honest, and trustworthy, but can also be stubborn and selfish.

How does this all affect Baby Schrades? Well I found this on the internet:

Dog children are creative, able to entertain themselves for hours on end. They don’t mind playing by themselves, often inventing games and puzzles while doing so. They are responsible children who love to take on and complete as many tasks as possible for it gives them a sense of accomplishment.

Unfortunately, I think astrology is complete BS, so this doesn't really do much for me. But, make your own judgements. However, if I'm wrong, Baby Schrades being able to entertain himself for hours on end might come in handy.

Until next time...

Baby Tingle is a...

Boy! My sister and Neil found out yesterday that they are having a little boy. They are very excited about this, but of course more excited that he seems to be a healthy, normal baby. I think it's neat that Baby Schrades will now have two little boy cousins. It will be fun to get the three of them together....Wesley, Baby Tingle and Baby Schrades.

Midwife Visit - 29 Weeks

We got to hear Baby Schrades' heartbeat this morning, which is always fun. His h/b was in the 140's, my belly is measuring about 30cm (we're at 29.5 wks), my b/p was 100/58, and I gained another 4 lbs! I told Jeff that my clothes must be heavy today because that seems like a lot in 3 wks, but at least we know the little guy is eating well. Our midwife said that he's still positioned head down with the back of his head and his back against the front of my belly. This is the position that we want, but he still has room to squirm around, so it may change.

We got a surprise call last night from our midwife. The first thing she said was not to worry and that our baby is fine. She then told me that she had decided not to renew her contract with the doctor that she's currently employed by. Her last day will be March 19th, 3wks before our due date. We discussed this last night and then again at our appointment this morning. She may have another job by then, but we can't count on that (she's still a certified midwife, but the law says she has to be working with a doctor in case there are complications). The three of us decided together that we are going to switch practices immediately so that we have the chance to get to know a new midwife. If something changes and she is able to deliver our baby, we'll then seriously consider going back to her (we really like her).

The new practice that we are looking at is a little further away and delivers at a different hospital - Western Wake. This practice has four midwives on staff, which is good because you are guaranteed a midwife birth. We will have to rotate through them on each visit, but I think our situation with only having one person to see before was unique. The hospital has supposedly been remodeled recently and has bathtubs in each room. This is a huge deal to me because that was one of the things that bothered me about Rex Hospital. I've heard that laboring in tubs (not delivering in them) feels great. Another plus is that the couple that talked to us in class on Monday delivered with these midwives at Western Wake, and loved their experience, so the timing of that class couldn't have been better.

It's a little strange that Baby Schades will be here in 10 weeks and we don't know who will deliver him or what hospital he'll be in, but we're not worried...it will all work out....

Bradley Birth - Class #4

Last night's class focused on the coach's role during labor. During the first part of the class we had a couple come in, with their baby, that had been in one of Laura's classes last fall. The dad told us about their birth experience, which was neat since the class was focusing on the coach's role. He said that he taken the Bradley class because his wife wanted to, but was glad because he ended up playing a big role in the birth of their baby. Their experience was that he didn't play a big part in the beginning, but compared himself to an athletic coach during the end of labor when it got more difficult.

Next, we did an exercise where each husband had to tell his wife something that she had done that he was thankful for over the past week, and then tell her something that she needed to improve on...but he had to say it out loud so that everyone could hear. The point of the exercise was to get the husband comfortable with saying personal things in front of people he doesn't know that well, since there will be nurses in and out of the room during labor. Jeff thanked me for making the trip to Memphis with a sore back (flying stresses me out) and asked me to not stress so much about getting the nursery finished. This wasn't bad...the poor guy that had to go first nicely asked his wife to lay off the chocolate chip cookies.

We then discussed the medications that are available during birth and which ones it would be best to choose if necessary. It feels good to be more knowledgeable on what our options are in this area.

The coach's tip was to know where your wife tenses up first. Jeff already knows that it's my shoulders, so he should look for hunched shoulders during birth and tell me to relax or offer a massage. A little part of me envisions labor as a 12 hour back massage. I need to see more videos to get this illusion out of my mind. Next week we talk about the first stage of labor.

The Weekend

We had a great weekend in Memphis. We were pretty tired when we got there on Friday, but a lazy afternoon of napping cured us. Friday night was spent hanging out and catching up with Sandy and Dennis. On Saturday we visited Chris and Hilary's new house, which is just a few miles away from Sandy and Denny's. Their little boy, Carter, is one year old now. We learned that we should probably clear our registry and just give Baby Schrades an appliance box, tupperware, spoons and pots.

The main reason we were there was to attend Louie and Lisa's wedding. It was really nice and it was fun to see them and some of Jeff's other high school friends.

We had to leave first thing Sunday morning to catch all of our stand-by flights, which thankfully worked out, so not much excitement on Sunday until we picked up our punkin' from his friend Murphy's house. I've never been so excited to see him because we haven't been away from him in almost a year. Rick and Jennifer said that he sat by the door and cried after we dropped him off on Thursday, but after a few hours he was playing non-stop. Tyson may be spoiled more when he goes to their house then he is at our's. When I called to check on him on Saturday Jennifer told me that he hadn't eaten much, and she was afraid that he was homesick, so she hand fed him a whole bowl of food. What a baby! Then she told me that she had taught him how to shake. That may not seem like a big deal to everyone else, but he is so cute when he does it, and I was so happy to hear that he was doing so well. I'm sure you'll see a picture of this big accomplishment later this week....

Walkin in Memphis

Shanna and I are in Memphis this weekend for a high school friend's wedding. We woke up at 3 AM this morning to catch our flight so my blog might be a little incoherent. Also, sorry I neglected my blogging duties last week. I have no excuse. No single topic today, just a few thoughts:

Flying
I know it's cliche to harp on the inconviences of airline travel, but seriously, flying blows. We got selected for extra screening in the security line. They had to check our bags for explosives residue and pat us down for lethal weapons (how does Chuck Norris get his fists on the plane?). But at least when you get on the plane, the seats are really comfortable and you can relax. Actually, I can't relax until after takeoff when you're allowed to tilt the seat back that extra 1.5 cm. Sometimes I wake up and think I'm in my own bed.

Also, we had a layover in Atlanta and were dropped off in the E terminal. I was able to revisit the Pizza Hut Express in the food court that landed me in food poisoned hell this same week last year coming back from the Grand Canyon. To my surprise people were actually ordering food. Oh, if they only knew...

Speaking of...

The Grand Canyon
A year ago this week five friends and I went to Arizona and hiked the Grand Canyon. It was a grueling 3 days that left us completely exhausted and sore, but it was well worth the pain. Seeing the Grand Canyon from the rim is amazing enough, but hiking down to the river and back gives you an even greater appreciation of its size and grandeur.

Bradley Class
The Bradley Class is going well and is so informative. The more you learn about everything that goes on during pregnancy, the more amazing it becomes. I think it's safe to say that pregnancy and birth are the most fascinating events in nature. Next week's lesson is on the "coach's" role. I better get my notebook ready. So far, no birth video, but I'm still nervous.

Xin Hau
I got a new piano teacher last week. While I liked my old teacher, he cancelled lessons too often to really get anything going. Xin Hau is a senior at Duke. She took lessons from 6 years old through high school graduation and even won some amateur competitions. I think she's studying psychology and neuroscience. However, I think she is facing her biggest challenge yet trying to teach me piano.

American Idol
What can I say, I like American Idol. For all its flaws and despite the fact that Paula Abdul is a massive tool, American Idol has some great moments. Like when the kid who lives on a farm in a town of four in Wyoming comes in to audition. He's so nervous that he can't remember the name of the song that he's going to sing. But to everyone's surprise he has a good voice. So the judges see his potential and send him to Hollywood. The kid was so excited. That was some good TV. Or maybe I'm a sucker.

Until next time...

Day at the Spa & Weekend at Murphy's

Tyson is having a great week. He got to spend a day at the "spa" this week and is spending this weekend with one of his best friends, Murphy. Jeff and I are going to Memphis for a wedding and thought that Tyson could use a weekend full of playing. Murphy is a Peek-a-poo. I'll ask his mom and dad to take some pictures of the boys this weekend (thanks Rick and Jennifer!). For now, here are the spa pictures:

Before

After

Belly Gallery - 28 Weeks

28 Weeks

24 Weeks

20 Weeks

Bradley Birth - Class #3

Last night's class focused on pregnancy and controversial issues surrounding pregnancy. Laura showed us diagrams that illustrated the changes that the female body goes through, with the idea being that it's helpful for the coach to be aware of the changes. She also showed us a video that showed us what the fetus looks like from conception through five months. They stopped at five months because they said that the baby is done developing at that point and just grows bigger through the end of the pregnancy. So Baby Schrades is developed! Wow, that's neat.

The controversial issues that we covered were: Circumcision, IV's during labor, Episiotomy, Ultrasounds, and Vaccinations.

The issue with vaccinations is that some parents choose to spread out the time in which the babies get vaccinated. Laura, for example, chose to get a couple of vaccines each month instead of six at one time. Jeff and I haven't discussed our plans yet....

Relaxation Method: Each week we practice a form of relaxation at the end of class and then we have to practice as "homework" over the next week. Last night's class we practiced massages. (Jeff said he wouldn't have been surprised if I had paid the teacher to suggest this). So Jeff gave my hands a massage during class and his homework is to give me two massages over the next week without me asking. I'm lucky.

Coach's Tip: During labor, know the mood of your wife and adjust your mood accordingly. For example, if I'm laughing and joking then so should Jeff, but if I get serious then Jeff should too.

Next week's topic is The Coach's Role...I'm looking forward to it already.

Babies R Us

Jeff and I made our first trip together to Babies R Us yesterday. We were looking forward to looking at stuff for the baby, but not to going into that store. The store is nice, but it's not the kind of place where you run in to get something, in most cases, so you usually have people standing (blocking) every isle as they gaze at the shelves with a blank look on their face. I'm sure we even looked like that yesterday.

We had a great tip from a friend to start our registry on-line and then just go to the store for updates. I spent time at home going through the checklist of "New Moms Must-Haves" - provided by Babies R Us, of course - and comparing items on-line. Luckily we have a lot of friends with babies, so a lot of the stuff looked familiar. We got to the store right after they opened, got a quick tutorial on how to use the "registry gun", and then spent 55 minutes (we were proud to do it in under an hour) going through the store making sure we knew what all the stuff was and what it's purpose is for our little guy.

I do have to give Babies R Us credit for how organized they have everything. The list and the map (yes, a map) that they gave us was really helpful.

Blood Test Results

We got our wk 27 blood test results back this week....

Glucose: normal
Protein: normal
RH Antibodies: negative (normal)
Iron: slightly sow (12 is average and mine is 11.2)

So Baby Schrades is taking his share of the iron, which is great, but I'm left with a little less than I require. I'll just start taking a daily supplement...no big deal.

Sciatic Nerve

Apparently lower back pain due to pressure on the sciatic nerve is common during pregnancy. I feel much better knowing this. Two days ago it hurt so bad when I turned a certain way that it was hard to stand. At that time I didn't know what the pain was and I had a breakdown because in about two seconds my life played out before me: no more exercise, impossible delivery, back surgery and eventually unable to walk.

Luckily the world wide web was there to save the day:

"The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body, providing sensory and motor function to the lower extremities. This nerve provides sensation to the back of the thigh, lower part of the leg and the sole of the foot. Sciatic nerve pain is a periodic severe pain that occurs throughout your legs. During pregnancy, the sciatic nerve runs under your uterus to your legs. The cause of sciatic nerve pain is thought to be associated with pressure on the nerve caused by the developing baby."

I also called our midwife and she said it's very common and may get better before delivery, but may not. Warm baths and heat are the way to treat it. I'm looking forward to relaxing every night after work trying these two healing methods....

Bradley Birth - Class #2

Last night's class was as good as the first. Jeff and I agree that there is so much useful information that we're learning. The topic for class #2 was Nutrition and an Intro to Breastfeeding.

We started by watching a video on breastfeeding and then had a lactation consultant come speak to the class for 30 min. Our teacher, Laura, and the consultant stressed the benefits of breastfeeding last night and will take us through the instructional part later.

Laura also stressed the importance of breathing into your abdomen during labor, vs. breathing into your chest (short, hyperventilating breaths). A student she had once, that taught ballet, would tell her students to breathe through their toes. So the Coach's Tip for class #2:

If the mother gets scared or flustered during labor, bring her back by reminding her to breathe.

Pregnancy Massage

Jeff's Dad, Dennis, got me one of my favorite gifts ever for Christmas - a gift certificate for a massage. Instead of the local spa, however, he hooked me up with a lady that is a certified doula (helps women with labor) and is experienced in giving pregnancy massages. I saw her on Saturday and it was great.

I usually like to zone out during a massage, but this lady has so much knowledge on labor and delivery that I talked to her through most of it. The most helpful thing I took away was this piece of information: Do not sit in a reclined position wks 34 - 40 of pregnancy.

The logic here is that the ideal position for a baby to be born is head first, face down. The reason face down is better is because some part of their head has to travel across your lower vertebrae during delivery, and it's more comfortable for the soft face to do this than the hardest part of the body...the back of the head. Women that have a baby come out face up claim that the back labor, or back pain, is not so fun.

If you kick back in a reclined position during those last week's of pregnancy, gravity helps the heaviest part of the head sink to the lowest part, or back, of your uterus, which would increase the chances of back labor. Instead, if you sit "indian style" on the floor while watching TV with a pillow under your bottom, so that your bottom is higher than your knees, then the heavy part of the head sinks again to the lowest part of the uterus, or front, decreasing the chances of back labor.

She said she was prepared for her labors because as a massage therapist she stands all day and slightly leans forward, which puts the baby in a great position. I asked how I could mimic this at home and she said I could wash dishes. Ironically our dishwasher broke before Christmas and we've been too busy to get it fixed. So now I don't want to get it fixed until after the baby. I like doing dishes anyway...the hot water warms me up (I'm always cold).

The other helpful thing she said was that pure vitamin E oil works great for stretch marks. I've been using Palmer's from Target, but maybe I'll try this...

Flinstones

I read a book recently called Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever, written by Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman, MD. The premise of the book is that, in the upcoming decades, advances in biotechnology and later, nanotechnology, will dramatically increase the average life span of humans. Some of the ideas and predictions seem like crazy science fiction, but Ray Kurzweil has a record of uncanny technology forecasting and he's definitely smarter than I am.

The authors also discuss how nutrition affects the body and can prevent disease. Both of the authors participate in what they call "aggressive supplementation" (Ray Kurzweil takes 250 supplements a day), which brings me to the point of my bloggy blog. At the end of the book, the authors list out their recommended intake of various essential vitamins and nutrients as well as a handful of "super-nutrients" like coenzyme 10 and alpha lipoic acid. Their recommended values are generally way higher than the FDA's RDAs.

So I compared their recommendations to what I was typically getting with my diet and daily Centrum multivitamin (the Dodge Stratus of multivitamins) and saw that I was getting way less than what was recommended for just about every nutrient. I did some research and found about five supplements that I have been taking for about a week now. I really have noticed a significant increase in my energy and I think it's because I'm getting more vitamin B, but I could be wrong.

Anyways, I'll keep you posted on my little experiment. Until next time..

Third Trimester and Coach's Tip

We are now in the third trimester. This is hard to believe, but really exciting. Baby Schrades will be here in about three months! The little guy is about 15 inches long now, from head to toe, and weighs a little more than 2lbs...according to the baby books. He moves all day long, with little naps throughout the day, then sleeps all night and wakes up when I wake up in the morning. I read somewhere that he should move at least 10 times in an active 2 hour period, so I kept track yesterday and he wiggles a little every hour.

I forgot to mention the Coach's Tip that Jeff got in our Bradley Class on Monday. She said she'll give the guys a tip every week, and this week's was that the husband should tell his wife several times during labor how great she is doing. I'm sure that will be appreciated by me and every other mommy.

Checkup - Week 27

Today we had our wk 27 appointment with Mary Charles. Baby Schrades is measuring in at an average little baby size. My belly measured 27 cm and his h/b was 140 (avg range is 120-160 at this point). Mommy has gained 5 lbs since our last appointment, for a total of 19 so far.

Mary Charles said that he is head down this morning, but that doesn't mean he'll stay that way. If you're looking at my belly, his head is very low on the left side and he is facing towards the center of my body. His back is up against the left side of my belly and his little bottom is sticking up under my right rib cage (left if you're looking at me). His legs kind of go across my belly, so I feel his kicks on my left side (right if you're looking at me).

In addition to the usual checkup, I had to do the one hour glucose test. This just entailed drinking 10 oz of red "sugar water", which tasted like cherry kool-aid. Wasn't bad. One hour after drinking this they took blood samples. They took one extra vile to test for whether or not I have the RH antibodies. The results should be in by Friday.

I hope I'm not diabetic because it would be hard to avoid sugar. The instructions for the glucose test today were to avoid concentrated sugars for 24 hrs prior to the test, so I didn't have OJ, yogurt, or fruit yesterday (or cookies). It was hard to find snacks that didn't have sugar.

Next checkup is in 3 weeks....

Bradley Birth - Class #1

Last night we had the first class of our Bradley Birth classes, which is a 12 week series (www.bradleybirth.com). The class was from 7:00-9:30, but it went by quickly and was really interesting. Class one was for introducing the Bradley Method to us, meeting the other class members, and introducing the first topic to help us during birth - relaxation.

We learned that Dr. Robert Bradley was an OB in the '50s. He grew up on a farm and saw many farm animals give birth, so he was shocked when he first witnessed a human birth. At that time husbands were not allowed into the delivery room and the mother's were very sedated. He eventually introduced the concept of letting your instincts guide you through labor (relaxation, being in tune with your body, etc), and he also led the transition that eventually allowed husbands into the delivery rooms.

The class is taught by a mother of 3, who is certified in the Bradley Method. There are 8 other couples in our class. Most of them are like us....delivering at a hospital with their first baby. One couple plans to deliver at home.

The relaxation technique that she introduced was exactly like a meditation class that I took this summer. You simply sit quietly and concentrate on being mindful and relaxing every part of your body. The husbands role in this exercise is to massage your back to aid in the relaxation, if you want. Poor Jeff, I am going to take advantage of all the "free" massages during this class.

We did see a birth video at the end of class, but it was meant to ease us into the birth videos. There was a warning after the birth that said that the next video shows much more detail. Guess we have that to look forward to...

Happy Birthdays

Happy Birthday to Jeff, who turned 29 on Saturday, and Happy Birthday to Sandy, who's birthday is today!

Belly Gallery - Week 26

Week 26

Week 22