Belly Cast - 37 weeks

Last weekend Mom, Jill and William came for a visit. We had a fun time. We took William to a little petting zoo. He seemed excited to go, but once we got there, he quickly became bored. There were these adorable goats and everyone was petting them. William brushed a couple of them, but didn't feel like petting them. Afterwards I realized that the only reason he didn't pet them was because I told him he would have to wash his hands after. Poor kid ended up having to wash them anyways....

While Uncle Nenad and William entertained each other, Mom, and Jill did a belly cast for me! It was so much fun. I love messy things lol. Plus I have always always wanted to have a belly cast done while pregnant. When Trina was pregnant I wanted so badly to do one on her, but the timing just never worked out. It was quite interesting covering myself in vaseline and then having mom and Jill wrap me in plaster strips :) Who knew it would dry so fast. It peeled off of me so easily where I was covered with vaseline but I have to say, it was quite tender in the few areas that hadn't been covered ...... ouchy

  It was such a fun bonding experience. Just us girls, prepping the plaster strips, watching youtube videos to see what the heck we were suppose to do, and then getting down to business lol. I even bought pink dollar store table clothes to use as the drop clothes :) Can't wait for Jillybean to be pregnant so we can do one for her!!!

Mom and Jill did such an amazing job. You can even see my belly button, among other things, on the cast. I just have to sand and prep it. Im not positive how I want to decorate it, but i think keeping it nice a simple is all it needs. I think I will put the baby's foot prints on the inside where I feel her always hick-upping, and maybe put a little bird somewhere on the outside. I think it looks perfect as is :) Thank you Mom and Jill.

c-section?

I am now 37 weeks and 2 days into my pregnancy. I went to the doctors last Wednesday, hoping that they could turn the baby using the external cephalic version method. I arrived bright and early, gave a urine sample, had blood work, got on IV (ouch), and was hooked up to a machine to monitor the baby's heart rate. Finally after about an hour and a half, they took me in to the operating room (in case I needed an emergency c-section) where I had another ultrasound and waited some more for the doctor. I have to say  I enjoyed the ultrasound. We got a very very clear picture of our little baby's foot awwwwwww. The doctor arrived and after all of this, I am expecting him to dig into my gut, to push with all his might, and get this little baby to do what she needs to do. I was prepared to grin and bare the pain. The truth is, the doc spent maybe 3.5 to 5 minutes working on me. I don't even know what he did. He dug his fingers into the top of my belly sort of cupping her head with his thumb and index finger and pushed one way, then pushed the other way, then promptly told me she wasn't going to move and I should schedule a cesarean. I held back my tears.
My uterus and belly were pretty hard at the time. I think if he had waited for everything to relax, and put some more effort in, he would have had better luck. Honestly, I don't think he cared. I think doctors now a  days prefer c-sections, especially when they are planned. In and out, on their time, no waiting for the woman to dilate, no surprises. Maybe for some doctors, this isn't the case, and I know that there are times when a c-section is desperately needed, Im just wondering if that is the case with me. I was a breech baby, and my mom delivered me naturally.

After the procedure, I was taken to another room, where the baby and I were monitored for another 20 minutes, and then sent home. Nenad was super sweet. He stood next to me the whole time and rubbed my arm to comfort me.
Lastnight I had a good cry over all of this. I am a bit heartbroken that I have to have a c-section. I am still holding out hope that she will flip, or I will find a doctor educated enough to perform a natural birth on a frank breech baby.
Out of the three friends I know, who recently had a baby, they all had to have a c-section for one reason or another. Now I have to have one as well. I think that is a mighty high percentage. My mom said back when she had us, she didn't know anyone who had a cesarean.
I know some women actually choose to have a c.s over a natural birth. Im not judging, to each their own, but if you don't have to have one, I can't figure out why you would want to go that route. Our bodies were designed to deliver babies. I am sad that I may not get to experience my water breaking, or feeling labour, or pushing, or holding hands with Nenad and doing my best not to get cranky when he is comforting me and I am in pain. I really want that experience. I know there is the possibility to have all of that with our next baby, but maybe that baby will be breech, or maybe the doctors here won't perform a VBAC. Sorry to get so whiny. I know it will all be wonderful when I am holding our baby.
I am a little confused as to why it has to be a planned c-section. I feel like it would be healthier for myself and the baby to experience a bit of labor. I mean isn't labor the body and baby's way of saying "yooohooo, Im ready to be born".
I read that it will take 30 minutes or more to sew me up (after a c-section), and I won't be able to hold the baby during that time. I will have to stay in the hospital and recover for 3-4 days instead of wrapping my baby up and resting comfortably at home. Ok, now I am just complaining lol. It's just hard accepting this when all my life I had a totally different vision. But what is life, if not unexpected and and full of surprises :)
Im off to see my midwife. Thanks for baring with me on this post and letting me vent. I feel like the biggest complainer, since all that matters is the baby's health and well being. That is truly what is important. I just want my baby to feel safe and happy, and  to spend as little time as humanly possible in the cold sterile hospital.

***update***

I saw my midwife. She spent a good 30 mintues working to turn the baby. I have to say it was quite tender to say the least, but I didn't want her to stop so I didn't mention the slight soreness, except for one point where I jumped and made a bit of a whimpering sound... I just reacted. The baby moved a bit, but not a lot. My midwife chuckled at how easy going yet stubborn this little one is. Her heart rate didn't even budge.
She said that it is up to me if I want to schedule a cesarean. She agrees with me that going into labor is better for me and baby, as well as for future births. She wants me to talk to a doctor and see what he says, but if I want to wait for the onset of labor, the doctors can't tell me otherwise. Of course I may still need to have a c.s once I arrive at the hospital, but I feel better knowing that at least I can wait until the baby feels completely ready to make her entrance into this world. My midwife also that it is better for the baby to go through a bit of the labor, as they get certain hormones and chemicals that prepare them for life outside the womb. So we will see how it goes. If I wait for labor, the doctors may even perform a breech vaginal birth, as long as everything is going well and progressing, and baby and I are good candidates. In the meantime, I have been referred to another chiropractor, who I've been told has golden hands for getting babies to turn :) and I will start taking my pulsatilla again.
If anyone out there knows of any tricks to turn baby, wives tales or not, I am up for suggestions :)

Baby Shower

My little sis threw the most beautiful baby shower for us. Of course she had help from my mom, who made oodles and oodles of delicious food. Everything turned out amazingly. Jill did a great job decorating, I adored the colours and everything about the decor. It was a bird theme. She painted some adorable wooden bird houses and made a bunch of beautiful origami birds to hang from the ceiling. I am going to put them in the nursery. Ivan made some yummy appies as well. He is a good cook.

On the counter were some Jones Soda bottles. Upon closer inspection, I realized that on the label was a baby picture of me! and on the back was a little write about about me. My Jillybean is so thoughtful and full of great ideas. I definitely teared up when I saw them :) I will have to post a pic of the jones bottle later, since I just turned the camera on, and realized the battery is dead... boooo

I was so amazed with all of the super fantastic gifts we received for our little baby. Many many baby essentials. I loved them all, from the baby swing to the bassinet to the jollyjumper, clothes, stuffed animal, books, blanky.... oh boy. I assembled the bassinet and baby swing the other day, and am almost finished putting together the crib. The nesting has begun.

I think Trina won the game of pin the sperm on the egg lol, and then everyone decorated onesies. They all turned out so cute.

Voodoo

At our last 3d ultrasound, the baby was still in a breech position. Some doctors will deliver breech babies vaginally, but few are trained in this field. On top of that, there are many are many criteria that must be in place for a doctor to choose natural birth over c-section. Apparently breech births can be hereditary. I was breech, and now my little one is breech, like mother like daughter I suppose :)

The idea of having a caesarean section was never in my plans. I just never thought I would have to worry about such things. My midwife suggested that I try acupuncture and chiropractic procedures to encourage the little one to flip to a head down position. During the acupunture treatment they put needles in the side of my baby toes and waved hot mugwort around the pins. This is called moxibustion. The acupuncturist gave me a stick of mugwort so Nenad could continue the treatment on me at home (sans needles) . So far, this hasn't had much effect.  (Have I mentioned that in your third trimester you will not recognize your feet? They get so swollen at times that I have to do a double take)

Last Thursday I saw Dr. Cooper, who performs ECV. External Cephalic Version is a procedure where they put a bunch of gel on your stomach, and then try and manipulate the baby to turn head down by externally massaging my stomach, to put it lightly. The doctor said depending on how sensitive my uterus is it could be painful. Also it can have negative side effects, such as rupturing my water, or causing stress to the baby. The ECV is performed in an operating room, incase an emergency c-section has to be performed. If this happened, I would be put to sleep, and Nenad would not be allowed in the room. The doctor said An emergency c-section is not a pleasant thing, but the likelihood of this happening is low. Oh boy. After hearing this, I called and emailed chiropractors to see if they knew how to do the Webster Technique, and could fit me soon.
The Webster Technique is another treatment that is supposed to help the baby to turn. They say sometimes the reason the baby doesn't turn, is because the mothers pelvis is misaligned or the round ligaments are too tight. I managed to get in on Saturday with a chiropractor. She cracked my low back near my sacrum, and held her finger on a trigger point near my round ligament on my right side for about 4 minutes. I don't think she has turned, but she was active for the rest of the day. I had another chiropractic appointment today with a different doctor, Dr. Raphael. He was great. He was very informative and thorough. I go back to his office tomorrow, but see yet another chiropractor, Dr. Baxter. I am crossing my fingers that the baby turns, otherwise on Wednesday I will be going in for the ECV.

 After my adjustment, I saw my midwife. She suggested on top of all of these treatments, I take something called pulsatilla. Pulstilla is a herb in pill form. It is a homeopathic way of softening the ligaments and tissues in your uterus, in hopes of creating room for the baby to flip.
Part of me thinks I should just leave everything be and hope she turns on her own, and if she doesn't, then just accept it. I don't want to be selfish, but I want to have a natural birth. I want to go through labour, and go through the whole birth experience. I want to be awake and aware after the baby is born. I would prefer not to have surgery. I would like to be up and walking shortly after birth and not have to worry about healing after surgery. The truth is I just want a happy healthy perfect little baby. What ever I have to go through to achieve this, is what I will do.