Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Cutie

For Your Viewing Pleasure

I'm working on getting some posts written that have several words in them.
Maybe even a paragraph.
Maybe even more than one paragraph.


But for now it'll have to be just a few pictures of my new baby.

Enjoy.

Wordless Wednesday

These Cheeks

Aren't they great???

A Common Theme: Elizabeth Sleeps

Baby Elizabeth sleeps.

A lot.

During the day, that is.

At night is a whole 'nother story.

I do not sleep a lot.

At night or during the day.

Hopefully we get us both sleeping at the "right" times of the day/night soon.

Baby Elizabeth is Here

Elizabeth Grace

9 lbs. 4 oz.

21 1/2 inches

8:16 pm

12-12-11

We got home about 5:00 today.

I'll write about her birth soon!

Let's Talk, Shall We?

I took off the little baby ticker that was on my sidebar.

It was a little creepy that the baby disappears after 40 weeks.

('Cause that doesn't really happen in real life, you know.)

Also, it was causing a lot of people to freak out that I haven't delivered this baby yet.

Let me let you in on a little secret:

I had two due dates.

One was based on my last cycle date,

the other on conception date.

(At this point you may well want to stick an index finger in each ear

and sing la, la, la, la-a-a-a-a-a-a-a.

I'll wait until you're ready.)

Since the time between Elijah and Ruby,

the length between my cycles has increased from 28.5 days

to more like 38 days.

It was like that between Elijah and Ruby,

Ruby and Ivy,

and between Ivy and this baby.

BUT,

the medical community will only use the date of the last menstrual period.

Believe me, 

I've tried to tell them that my due dates should be later.

To that, my ob said,

"Welllll, it'd just be easier to use the lmp date..., so we'll just write that one down, ok?"

All through this pregnancy

I have told myself and many, many others

that I would not be surprised to go into December.

So, why did I even use the November date?

I guess the easiest way for me to explain it is this:

You know how some people leave a clock or watch set five minutes ahead?

To sort of trick themselves into leaving early,

even though they know the clock is ahead?

Yeah, it was kind of like that.
(That, and the fact that it's kind of a long story to relay in passing
at the grocery store or while shaking hands at church.)

Even though I had longer cycles with Ruby and Ivy,

I stayed with their doctor-given due dates.

Ruby was a week early,

Ivy a week late.

You may not remember (or even care)

that I did not do "routine" ob visits with this pregnancy.

It wasn't until 30 weeks or so that I met my midwife.

She and I are using a due date of December 6th, based off the d.o.c.--

still over due, but not by as much.

Does that make you feel better?

It does me.

(Ok, ok, most of the time it makes me feel better--unless you count the few times I have sat in my room and sobbed because this baby is not born YET!!  Dennis has had a front row seat to this and I think it only serves to increase men's assessment that women are indeed a complicated creature.)

You can look it up anywhere--

normal gestation is anywhere from 37-42 weeks.

Roughly 10 % of babies are born at 42 weeks.

I promise I am being vigilant about monitoring baby's movements and

I am in contact with my midwife.

Please don't think me reckless for going "so long"--

it's funny to me (not funny ha ha but funny hmmmmm)

that all the interventions are considered "safe"
but going a few days over my due date is somehow endangering my child's life.

Trust me--
no one wants to greet this newest baby more than me.
Ok, well, Ruby, Linnea, Christopher and Elijah would be right up there,
but my point is this:
if it gets to the point where I am no longer comfortable with being overdue,
I will consider the options available to help things along.

For now,
I'm spending a lot of time sewing, crocheting,
trying to breathe, putting my feet up,
and wondering if we'll be washing up the blue clothes or the pink.

There now--I'm glad that's off my chest.

Pressure Points

There's a lot of pressure when you're over your due date.

Today, however,

I experienced a different kind of pressure--

I went to our chiropractor and he paid extra attention 

to the pressure points 

that can help labor along.

I hope it helps!!!

The OB and the Midwife

Anonymous left a comment saying: Perhaps its none of my business, but you are WAY overdue and being it is your 9th child, I would be very concerned. Are you in constant contact with your physician??????????????

I appreciate your concern, Anonymous.

I really do.

Your comment is part of what prompted me to write my post yesterday. 

Today, I got to thinking about the words

"constant contact" with my physician....

To back up a bit,

I recently ended up needing to call our family doctor (who is also the OB I had) with a question I had about one of the children.

I don't know how it is at other clinics,

but at ours, you can't call and speak to the doctor.

(This doesn't surprise me; it's probably like that at many clinics.)

It used to be you could call and speak to the nurse who would in turn speak to the doctor and then call you back.

Now they've changed it so you can only call the appointment desk and request a call back from the nurse, leaving a brief explanation with the receptionist.

I waited for two and a half hours for a call back, and the nurse wasn't even his regular nurse.

I don't know her and she didn't know me.

I then had to ask her my question, 

which she then asked of the doctor,

and then the nurse called me back another hour later.

There is no such thing as constant contact with a physician.

In contrast,

my midwife (who works at a different clinic) called me at home last week to tell me her husband was going to be out of town for four days, and if I did go into labor, could I please call her cell  phone (she'd given me the number two weeks before) to let her know we'd be heading in so she would  have enough time to get someone to watch her kids.

At each of my appointments, 

she has stressed the freedom to just call her (directly!) with any questions or concerns.

What a difference.

And that, friends,

is yet another reason why I've become a believer in the midwifery model of care.

Yes and No

Yes, I'm overdue.

No, I'm not "off" on my dates.

I'm certain of both my lmp and the conception date, in case you're really curious.

Yes, I'm aware of the "risks" of being pregnant "too long."

No, I'm not interested in an induction.

Though I have been induced once, I didn't know then what I know now.

Inductions are risky, too.

You may, of course, choose one for yourself--that would be your decision to make. 

I would rather not--which would be my decision to make.

Yes, I have recently seen my midwife.

No, nothing is "wrong".

Babies come on their own time--not anyone else's--if they are let alone.

My blood pressure is fine, I have virtually no swelling,

Baby's heart tones are great.

There is no reason at this point to intervene.

Yes, I'm overdue.

No, I'm not a very patient person.

Waiting is hard--very hard for me.

Considering that I've been "ready" since about 38 weeks,

and up many, many nights timing contractions,

it is not only physically tiring, but mentally and emotionally tiring.

Yes, I'd really like to meet this baby face to face.

No,  I don't take for granted that, for the time being, I can do something or go somewhere and not have to "worry" about feeding the baby every hour and a half.

Yes, I know I'm overdue.

No, the comment, "You're STILL PREGNANT???!!!" does not help.

What does help is a listening ear, a phone call/text/email/facebook post to let me know you're thinking of me and waiting to hear about the new baby.

I'm a pretty private person (makes total sense that I have a blog, then, doesn't it?)

and tend to get quite introverted as Baby's arrival draws near

so I may not always be up to answering the phone

but I will call you back.

I promise I will post it on facebook

and here on my blog

as soon as Baby comes out to meet us!

Am I ready?

Yes and no.

I have given three of my guys their haircuts; three to go.

I cleaned the garage, but the kitchen floor really needs to be washed.

I'm ready to take a deep breath again.  I've forgotten what one feels like.

I'm ready to be rid of this horrible heartburn.

I'm cherishing the baby's kicks and rolls inside of me;

soon this babe will be rather independent.

I'm lovingly rubbing my big round tummy, knowing that it won't be long until a big round tummy causes me to cry while getting ready for church because nothing fits and the baby's crying to be fed and we're already 10 minutes late.

Yes, I'm overdue.

No, it can't be much longer now until we meet our newest child.

I Agree

I find myself awake at all hours of the night

timing contractions that are leading up to the day when

we will meet this little girl or boy.

Sometimes, I read around on the internet

and often, I find some really interesting things to read.

Like

this post

for example.

Love, love, love, it.

I whole-heartedly agree!

A Quick Note--

--to say 

that I'm still pregnant.

No baby news to share yet!

How I Spent the Day

Today,

at nearly 41 weeks,

Crabby Me spent the day making sure my family

will not miss me--not even one little bit--

when this baby actually does decide to come

and I have to be gone at the hospital.

*sigh*

Isn't That Nice

Oh, look.

It's December 1st.

And here I was, thinking perhaps I'd have a November baby.

Ha ha. 

Ha. 

Ha.