Posts filed under 'Baby #3'
I had an appointment with my midwife (Erin) yesterday. She says my belly is measuring at 34 cm. (And, for those who don’t know or have never had babies, usually you can judge when the baby is going to get here by the number of centimeters from the top of the uterus to the pubic bone; this number is supposed to correlate with how far along you are. Meaning, I’m supposed to be 34 weeks along.) But, if you’ll look at the calendar, I’m only ’supposed’ to hit 33 weeks tomorrow… my ticker says I hit 33 weeks on Saturday, only based on my ultrasound results.
So I asked Erin about how much stock she takes into measurements, ultrasounds, and the “old wives’ tales”. I was curious to know if she had any predictions about when a mom would go into labor. She said she doesn’t have a crystal ball, fair enough, and she also said that this was my third baby. (Before you give the obvious “duh”, here’s why she said this.) Erin said that when she did her midwifery internship, she would come into the room of a mom in labor and sometimes the (main) attending midwife would give her some sort of sign, letting her know that this was the mom’s third baby. When Erin would see that sign, she and all the other interns would know to throw everything out the window, that whatever was on this mom’s chart for the previous two pregnancies would probably not be seen for this one.
I think it’s pretty funny how on many different levels this is true for this pregnancy -
I have had 2 dreams that this baby is going to be a boy. And, my friend Amanda just had a hilarious dream that she was present for my home birth (and if you know Amanda, you’ll know how much that would freak her out…). She dreamed that her Aunt Connie delivered my baby, after me having just a little stomach pain, and Aunt Connie pulled the baby out from between my legs via a Ziploc freezer bag to announce “Congratulations, it’s a boy!” and then Amanda woke up in a cold sweat.
I have felt so ‘different’ during this pregnancy, which is why I originally thought I was having a boy. I haven’t gained as much weight, I am carrying the baby not too high and not too low (which is great, so I can manhandle the other two!), and I feel like I look better than I did previously. (Be sure and remind me of this in about 6 weeks when I complain about my swollen ankles, ok?) 
I keep attributing feeling good to this time of year, but really, I just feel much more relaxed and calm than I did when pregnant with the other two. The weather has been absolutely beautiful lately, so I’m able to wake up and go outside to enjoy God’s beautiful creation. Plus, I feel much more rested, much more prepared, and much less stressed. (That’s also because I’ve released some responsibilities that were cluttering my life and not allowing me to focus on God and my family.)
But, this could just be because God promises us that no two babies are alike!
“For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.” - Psalm 139:13-16 (NIV)
This is definitely true; no matter what “flavor” this baby is (as Maria says), I know he/she will be different from big brother and big sister. I am so excited to meet her (I’ll keep calling it a “her” until delivery date..) and I can’t wait to hold her in my arms.
September 30th, 2008
This is the question I am asked At Least once per day. (And it’s not by my sweet hubby, either; he knows better and asks how the kids are doing.) And the answer to this question is best identified in multiple choice:
a. Tired.
b. Good and tired.
c. Exhausted.
d. Never felt better!
e. All of the above.
It depends on the time of day, what I’ve eaten that day, and whether or not the kids have taken naps that day.
Seriously though, this pregnancy has gone by so fast. I can’t believe there’s only about 7 weeks left and I’m trying to enjoy them as best I can. I am still having those pesky little contractions, but they’re minor and go away quickly. I am also still having some heartburn issues, but the baby has dropped quite a bit and it’s better now. My dad (aka my chiropractor) gave me some wonderful enzymes; the bottle is labeled Betaine HCl - Pepcin - Gentian Root Extract. I take 2 of these twice a day (morning and night) and love them, especially since they’re natural and don’t have side effects. The papaya enzymes also help in between.
I guess my main complaint is not being able to sleep well. I’m pretty uncomfortable and can only lie (lay?) on my left side without feeling nauseous. “This too, shall pass,” I know.
I get to take my glucose test on Monday and then we’re going to eat donuts at the new Shipley’s! Midwife’s orders! Wahoo!
(PS - Sorry if I’m a little link happy.)
September 26th, 2008
We’re doing it. We’re going against the norm (at least in America) and we’re defying the odds. We’re up for the challenge.
We’re having a home birth. (What’s this “we” stuff, anyway?) After watching The Business of Being Born (twice for me) and hearing our Super friends sing the wonderful praises of their midwife, Kevin and I have consulted a (different) midwife and we’re going to deliver this baby in our own house. I am so excited, and I just can’t hide it.
We decided to do this only about 6 weeks ago, which means I had to break up with my doctor (OB) recently. I haven’t seen him face to face, but I’ve had several calls from his office asking, “What happened?” and “What could we have done to prevent this?” The truth was, even though I had some issues with my doctor’s nurse not returning phone calls, I truly wanted to beat The System rather than get even with it. And here’s how:
1. I have fast labors. I felt like I was rushing to the hospital, only for them to make me stay a few days. I’ve heard too many stories of people who come to the hospital with nothing wrong and then die from staph.
2. Even if this labor isn’t fast, I’ll know what to expect from a natural birth. I won’t have to pack for the hospital or (hopefully) endure those painful contractions in the car. (Murder!)
3. I had episiotomies with both kids and I wasn’t even asked beforehand.
4. I had IVs I didn’t need placed into my arms and fetal monitors that didn’t work strapped around my body. (When I was discharged with Kennedy, the nurse looked at my arms and said, “Man, someone really wanted you to hold still.. you have some bruising here.”)
5. I’m not sick. I’m pregnant. I don’t need a doctor; nothing is “wrong” with me. (See Matthew 9:12, Mark 2:17, and Luke 5:31 on this one…)
6. It’s ridiculous that doctors won’t let you eat or drink while in labor “in case you have to go to surgery”. I plan on eating as much food as I like and drinking even more liquids.
7. Hospital bills are insane. I was charged for an epidural with Kennedy, even though I didn’t get one. But my HMO only charged me $100 per day… And, surprise, surprise, the premiums went up and now we’re with a different insurance company.
8. American insurance companies… no words to describe… In a nutshell, our insurance doesn’t cover a midwife, but since we have such a high deductible, it will be cheaper to have a home birth than a hospital birth. And, anyone without insurance would be wise to take a look at home birth.
I read several books about this subject as well -
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin, specifically deals with the issue of “how” a home birth can take place in a normal, healthy woman. I loved her stories of twins and breech births she delivered in a home.
The Way of American Birth by Jessica Mitford, gives an incredible account of the evolution of birth in America. Wow.
Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon, does not advocate home birth primarily, but it gave me great stretches and things to do while in labor. And, you can bet I won’t be lying flat on my back, trying to push.
I’m also going to read Husband-Coached Childbirth by (the man himself) Robert Bradley, whenever I can get my hands on a copy.
So, when my doctor’s office called to ask about why we switched, I didn’t give her the list of reasons, although I gave her a few of them. She surmised, “Since this is the way of doctors and hospitals around the country, you don’t want to have anything to do with it?”
Correct.
September 9th, 2008
So while talking with some girls in my ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship, also known to the rest of the world as “Sunday School”) I mentioned that I had quite the case of heartburn and couldn’t wait for the baby to drop a little to have some relief. I told them I had tried just about every kind of over the counter and under the counter medicine and even doubled the recommended dosage, but nothing had *really* helped.
One of my friends (who shall remain nameless) ;) suggested that I try a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. She said her dad was a cowboy and they got heartburn a lot because they don’t really eat well. I told her I’d try it that afternoon.
So I did.
I “chugged” a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and my first thought was a not-so-nice phrase, then an expletive, then an uncontrollable urge to pour the rest of the bottle down the drain. (I didn’t; I have a really good recipe for apple cider chicken.) Wow. Apparently none of these “cowboys” had ever been pregnant.
I googled “natural heartburn remedies” and found the following:
1. Avoid stress. Well, dummy, I’m pregnant and have 2 kids. I think that’s textbook for stressful.
2. Wait 30 minutes to lie down after drinking beverages. I could lie down within 3 hours of drinking and it still wouldn’t make a difference.
3. Don’t smoke or drink alcohol. Done.
I did try papaya enzymes (thanks, Rachel) which I found at our local Natural Foods store. Again, I have to take double the dose, but at least it’s better than the chemicals in Tums and Zantac. Plus, I can take the papaya stuff after every meal. Hooray.
Less than 12 weeks left.
August 25th, 2008
I can’t remember the last time I tried to update my Now Reading section, but it’s on the fritz and Kevin has tried to fix it multiple times. I might have to perform last rites and play Taps in loving memory…
IN the meantime, I will let you in on some books I just recently finished:
The Life You Want Your Kids to Live by Les Parrott, Sr. and Les Parrott, III
Fabulous. A quick read with powerful info.
How to Really Love Your Child by Ross Campbell
Campbell is the co-author of The Five Love Languages for Children, and I highly recommend both books to any parent, especially to those with school-aged children.
…Book of Christian Parenting & Child Care… by William & Martha Sears
The title is Really long but the book is Really good. I am liking the Sears’ books more and more… and it only took me 2.5 kids to figure this out.
Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon
Just for practice! I never heard of Bradley methods until I was well into my pregnancy with Kennedy (or maybe it was just afterwards..?).
Lord, Teach Me to Pray by Kay Arthur
I did this as a Bible study with some ladies from my Sunday School class. I enjoy summer Bible study and was glad to spend directed time in the Word.
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
Wow. A complete 180 from the other books listed above (actually, from ANY book I’ve ever read). I don’t trust an economist as far as I can throw him, but after reading this book, I do look at some things a little bit differently. I recommend this book, but it’s not for the faint of heart.
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Another “different” kind of book… I didn’t agree with a lot of things in this book, especially her views on religion and family. But, it was a fun read. I DO want to visit Italy but not India or Indonesia. (And that’s not any different from how I felt before I read the book.)
Here are the books I have planned to read next:
The Shack by William P. Young
Kevin just finished reading this book. My mom and dad have read this book, along with my dad’s book club. They are speechless about it, apparently because they don’t want to give anything away…
Marley & Me: Life & Love With the World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan
My sister-in-law talked about this book a few years ago and I saw that a movie of this book is coming out soon. (I’m always the last to read things, but this time I thought I’d be proactive.)
And a book by Francine Rivers. I’ve heard she’s a fabulous author, so I reserved one of her books at the library. I think it’s called The Last Sin Eater.
These books are already on top of the ones I’m currently reading AND already have planned for next in the deceased Now Reading library. (May it rest in peace.) I’m on my way to 50 books for sure!
And in case you’re wondering, I’m trying to get them all finished before the Baby Girl makes her grand entrance into the world. Which, if you haven’t noticed, is roughly 8 weeks before the end of the year, and is roughly 7 weeks before Christmas… so I’m also trying to get my Christmas shopping done even earlier than imaginable.
Did I mention I’m 26 weeks pregnant now? I don’t want to think about what else I need to tackle in the next 14 weeks.. or 3 months… or 98 days… (give or take a few days)
August 9th, 2008
Ladies and Gentlemen, children of all ages, welcome to the world of pregnancy woes and throes!
Behind door #1 we have, *drumroll please*…… ching! HEARTBURN! That’s right! At approximately the same time each night before your head hits the pillow, you’ll have that burning sensation deep in your throat. And then when you take some medicine to make it feel better, your stomach will churn and groan, knowing that you had to drink even the tiniest sip of water to make that medicine go down. Congratulations! Audience! Let’s give her a hand!
And behind curtain #2 we have, *timpani roll please*…..BAAHHHHMMMmmm…. SLEEPLESS NIGHTS! That’s right! You just thought those were for after the baby was born, didn’t you? No! Instead you’ll be forced to use 4 pillows while you sleep, which may or may not make your husband want to sleep on the couch! You can put 2 pillows under your head, making your neck stiff, 1 pillow under your stomach, making you queasy, yes queasy!, and one in between your legs just because you don’t have anywhere else to put your feet. And as a bonus, you get another pillow free for your back, so you can be wedged into that bed (or fall out of it) at a moment’s notice! And, you’ll never know where to put the pillows each night because not only do you need to get up and go to the bathroom, there’s a constant need for you to turn over every hour! Congratulations!
……………..
Okay, so it’s really not THAT bad. The heartburn is starting to let up some and I’m figuring out how to deal. But for those of you that have ever been pregnant, am I lying about any of this stuff?
August 6th, 2008
Ever heard that song? “…I can do anything better than you.” Now picture Kennedy saying this to Colby, and then Colby answering back:
“No you can’t.”
Kennedy: “Yes I can!”
Well, I’m sure you get the point, but that is the motto for the Fearsome Twosome right now. They take turns chasing each other, playing with each other’s toys, hitting and pushing each other, talking with each other, and laughing with each other, which is the most fun thing to listen to. I love that my kiddos are so close in age and that they have a built-in playmate. This is especially going to be fun when Baby Girl gets here and figures out her role in the mix of things. Both kiddos love looking at babies and talking about babies, and we’re trying to do our best to prepare them for their baby sister to be here, as much as we possibly can.
On another note, we just returned from vacationing in California! I’ll let Kevin post pictures, but we had a great time and I would love to go back anytime. Kevin says he would love to live there if he could, meaning weather-wise it was so much cooler and the scenery was beautiful too. Plus, we had a really great time being together as a family, and my parents and sisters were there to help shoulder some of the burden of baby-handling so that it really did feel more like a vacation. We will update you with stories and pictures as soon as we can!
July 22nd, 2008
I don’t know if there’s a better term for these, but I found this one at Baby-Gaga.com. I like the little snippets it gives of what Baby Girl is doing right now.
In related news, I went to the doctor today. Baby’s heartbeat was strong and it looks like she’s good til her due date - on or before the 19th of November. If I had to guess, based on our previous babies’ deliveries, she’ll be here on the 15th. Here’s “what she looks like”!
July 8th, 2008
Well okay, maybe not pouring, but we Finally FINALLY got rain this morning between like 4-5 (somewhere in there, and I’m so vague about it because I didn’t actually hear it; Kevin did. But the ground was so wonderfully moist this morning when we woke up.) We hadn’t had rain at our house for almost 2 months, seriously. And we did our part to help it along by watering the grass last night. (I know, God doesn’t need our help, but my next step was to wash my car in the driveway while doing a rain dance.)
Sooo, something else that got a little watering was our brand new LANDSCAPING! (insert Price is Right announcer’s voice there) We tried and tried for the 6 years we’ve lived in our house to get something to grow in our front flower bed but nothing was working. Whoever designed the front flower beds was either a dreamer or a schemer, because there’s an odd mix of 5:00 blaring sun and complete shade in our front yard. So Kevin called in the expert; one of our friends from church owns a landscaping company here in town and was able to help us get just exactly what we were dreaming of having. It really looks very nice and I’ll promise that Kevin will have pictures (and maybe explanations of the flowers since I have no idea…) up later.
This weekend we were graced by the visit of our friends Gregg & Erin. My due date and Erin’s due date are within 2 weeks of each other; we are both having little girls, and this is G & E’s first baby. We could not be more excited for them and can’t wait to see them again. It’s been a very very long time since we’ve seen them; they hadn’t met Kennedy, and I think the last time we saw them was 2.5 years ago, when they moved away from BCS. Even more shocking is that they only live 45 minutes away from us, and I didn’t even realize it.
Plans are in the works for the next time we will see them, which is good for our blog readers, since we spent all day together talking and eating Wings N More and the boys getting JJ’s snocones…. and we didn’t take ANY pictures. We even got Kevin’s camera out and Erin played with it for awhile… I am ashamed of us. I blame mine and Erin’s pregnancy brains AND the snocones.. they play tricks on your mind. :) I always like hanging out with Erin and Gregg; we don’t get to talk to them a lot, but when we all get together it’s like we’re just picking up an old conversation again. I love how candid and personal we can be with them.
That about wraps up the weekend. That, and we all took a very very long nap on Sunday afternoon. Hooray. And, Kevin and I are going to get massages tonight. Double hooray.
June 30th, 2008
UPDATE: I’ve unprotected the post so the world can see it.
Jenna and I had the big ultrasound appointment today, and now we have the results. Thanks to all that participated in our vote, it was a lot of fun for us! We actually had the polls going on in two different places. The first was here and the second was on a local Mamas forum that Jenna regularly reads and posts on.
Anyway, the ladies on the forums really threw the vote in one direction… towards the girl result. The total between the two was 65% for girl, and 35% for boy. See figure 1, the beautiful pie chart: ooooh, ahhhh!
So who was right? Drumroll please! Wait, not just yet… let’s do the “funny” item I referred to in my previous post. We had some funny commentary come along with the votes, and I wanted to share a few of them.
“I say a boy because you are carrying like me - and that’s what I think ours is. No other reason.”
- Erin J
(Erin and Gregg found out two days ago that they are having a girl… hmmm…)
“Girl - Kevin and Colby are enough man for one house.”
- Kyle G.
“The new child in Jenna’s womb is a boy.”
- Thomas S.
“I have mathematically determined the sex of your child!! This was done through multiple tests of the theory of probability. The majority of the time the result was GIRL!!!”
- Clay S.
(Clay then proceeded to go into a long mathematical explanation. I’ll spare you.)
You guys are pretty funny. Lets reveal who got it right in the KevinAndJenna blog vote. These people voted correctly:
- Suzy J.
- Ashley S.
- Tiffany R.
- Shala S.
- Grandmom (Kevin’s mom)
- Chris H.
- Kyle G.
- Clay S.
- Granddad (Kevin’s dad)
- Rachel S.
- Doug S.
Can you tell I am dragging this out? Well for all you smarties that looked back at the quotes above and compared them to this list, I’m sure you figured out we’re having a Girl! Everything with her looks great and she was a very wiggly girl. She’s estimated to weigh about 11 ounces right now and the due date is now November 17th (as opposed to the 19th). We told Colby and Kennedy this evening, here’s the video:
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
And finally here are some pictures. As I said in the previous post, we were pretty disappointed that we didn’t get to do the video of the ultrasound this time. The technician did print out a lot of pictures, but most of them weren’t that interesting. Click on them to enlarge:
^ Profile Shot ^
^ Screen measuring the hearbeat ^
^ And finally, the “proof” that we are having a girl. ^
Thanks again to everyone for playing, we had fun with this.
June 25th, 2008
Well today is the day of the big reveal. Thanks to everyone who has participated in our vote so far, it is turning out to be an interesting contest. I’m going to say that the voting polls will be closed at 2pm today, so if you haven’t voted already, click here to find out how to get your vote in now are officially closed!
Just to entice you a little bit, here a few things that we are planning for those that participate in the vote (no matter if you guess correctly or not):
- Access to a secret post sometime this evening revealing the sex of the new baby
- Video of the sonogram showing the baby and the “proof” of the findings
UPDATE: They’ve stopped doing the VCR recordings of the sonograms… so sorry, no sonogram video. But there will be pictures.
- Video of us telling Colby and Kennedy that they will have a new baby brother or sister
- UPDATE: Full poll results with graphs (insert “oooooh, ahhhhh”)
- UPDATE: Something else kinda funny, but can’t reveal at this point
- Anything else cool that I can think of between now and tonight…
Remember, those who vote will get all of these things (at least) a full 24 hours before the rest of the world. And its free… What a deal!
Ok folks, that’s all!
UPDATE: Polls officially closed. The votes are being tallied and the winning answer has been discovered. All voters will receive an email tonight with details of how to view the secret post. Thanks for playing!
June 25th, 2008
