Little Jack's CornerThe Life & Times of Jack-Evan and Family

How can we lowly humans love someone so much long before we’ve even met them?

I guess that’s the way God feels about us.
He awaits our arrival, anticipates our new birth, and rejoices when we become part of his family.

It’s 3:58 am.

A time when all good peoples should be snug tight in their little (or big!) beds.

Yet here I am..

*OUCH*

I’ll be 38 weeks this coming Tuesday – a milestone considering that when I was 34 weeks, I endured a 4 day hospital stay hooked up to magnesium drips and steroids shots because they thought the baby was coming early.

Guess he’s gotten himself cozy.

And it hurts like crud. 

I still haven’t really felt any contractions (during the hospital stay they said the monitor was picking up contractions every 2-4 minutes all day the first day and 6-8 per hour on Friday but I never felt them).  Unfortunately, the women in my family have a history of not feeling contractions until -BAM- it’s over and done with and the baby is about to fly out.

Great. 

Although my dog Gabby was more than happy to do it, I personally don’t want to give sudden birth at home on our bed.

Or in a taxi.

(Wait.  I never take taxis.  I guess that’s just a stereotypical fear. )

Outside of not feeling contractions, I do feel other kinds of pain though.  The baby is so low that his head can….

(men, or squeamish ladies, stop reading)

…can be felt only 2 inches “in”.  I can feel it myself.  (Being able to even reach “down there” at 9 months pregnant is a miracle in itself).  It’s the strangest thing.   The girl who did my ultrasound at my doctor’s appointment yesterday had an extremely hard time (again) getting his head measurement.  She couldn’t believe how low he was and asked me, astonished, was I sure I wasn’t having contractions.  (Which reminds me, I haven’t blogged about that visit yet.  My memory and ability to focus is very fleeting right now.)

So, anyway, because he is so low, every bone, joint, and muscle in my hip region contorts with pain every time his head moves around.  Walking hurts.  Standing hurts.  Sitting hurts.  Even laying hurts.   If you’ve ever done a split (or, “russian”) and accidentally pulled a groin or inner thigh muscle, then you can imagine just slightly what this type of pain feels like.

And I swear, I felt my belly growing a few days ago.  Cross my heart.  It even looks about 5 inches bigger. 

I’m just routinely miserable, and sleep is few & far between now.  I had already resigned myself to 18-40 years of no sleep after the baby was born – I just didn’t expect it to start now!  I went to bed tonight at 11:30 pm and spent a very, very uncomfortable 4 hours tossing and turning and saying “ouchy” over and over.   Last night I slept a bit, but awoke at 3 am…4:15…5:30…and 7 am respetively.

Did I ever mention how deep of a sleeper I normally am?  The family joke has always been that the world could end around me and I wouldn’t wake up.

How do women who have 5 or more kids do this so often??  Kevin and I have always said we wanted 4 children, but in my weaker moments this month I’ve had the vaguest notion that I don’t really want to do this again…and again…and again.

Bleh. 

I’m sure I’ll change my mind though.  They say after birth women get amnesia and don’t remember the pain.

What I wouldn’t do for a bit of that amnesia pill right now though. 

Huray!  I officially hit the full term mark today.  If Little Jack is born now, chances are he’ll have no problem with his lungs and living on his own (something we were worried about when he almost arrived back in late March).  I’m keeping my fingers (and legs!) crossed in hopes that all is well and Jack will make it to his official due date now.  God has sure taken care of us tremendously!

My weekly update email from my friend Lucy arrived today.  Here is what she sent me from the website she visits, telling about each week’s progress.  It’s quite funny too, since with every new week the articles compare the growing baby to a piece of food.  You would think that by now he’d be firmly entrenched in the melon stage….but no…guess what they compared him to this week? 

A stalk of swiss chard.

That’s right.  I am carrying around with me a fully loaded stalk of swiss chard.

(Now if someone could please comment and let me know what that is, I’d greatly appreciate it!)

 Your pregnancy: 37 weeks
(From www.BabyCenter.com)
How your baby’s growing:
Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard ). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long.

But don’t be surprised if your baby’s hair isn’t the same color as yours.
Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby’s development.

How your life’s changing:

Braxton Hicks contractions may be coming more frequently now and may last longer and be more uncomfortable.

You might also notice an increase in vaginal discharge. If you see some “bloody show” (mucus tinged with a tiny amount of blood) in the toilet or in your undies, labor is probably a few days away — or less. (If you have heavier spotting or bleeding, call your caregiver immediately.) Also be sure to ask your caregiver about the results of your Group B strep culture. That way, if the result isn’t yet on your chart when you get to the hospital or birth center, you’ll be able to give the staff there a timely heads-up if you need antibiotics.

It may be harder than ever to get comfortable enough to sleep well at night . If you can, take it easy through the day — this may be your last chance to do so for quite a while.
Keep monitoring your baby’s movements, too, and let your caregiver know immediately if you notice a decrease. Though her quarters are getting cozy, she should still be as active as before.

While you’re sleeping, you’re likely to have some intense dreams . Anxiety both about labor and about becoming a parent can fuel a lot of strange flights of unconscious fancy.

Home alone “I know some people are thrilled to show off their new baby. But all I wanted to do was curl up with her in my arms when I got home from the hospital. Next time I’ll tell people ahead of time that we aren’t seeing visitors for the first week.” — Anonymous

Surprising Facts: Signs of labor

There’s no way to predict when labor is going to start. Your body actually starts “preparing” for labor up to a month before you give birth. You may be blissfully unaware of what’s going on or you may begin to notice new symptoms as your due date draws near.

Here are some things that may happen in the weeks or days before labor
starts:

• Your baby drops. If this is your first pregnancy, you may feel what’s known as “lightening” a few weeks before labor starts as your baby descends lower into your pelvis. You might detect a heaviness in your pelvis as this happens and notice less pressure just below your ribcage, making it easier to catch your breath.

• You note an uptick in Braxton Hicks contractions. More frequent and intense Braxton Hicks
contractions can signal pre-labor, during which your cervix ripens and the stage is set for true labor. Some women experience a crampy, menstrual-like feeling during this time.

• You pass your mucus plug. The mucus plug is the small amount of thickened mucus that blocks the cervical canal leading to your uterus. The plug may come out all at once in a lump, or as increased vaginal discharge over the course of several days. The mucus may be tinged with blood (which may be brown, pink, or red), in which case it may be referred to as “bloody show.”

• Your water breaks. Most women start having regular contractions sometime before their water breaks, but in some cases, the water breaks first. When this happens, labor usually follows soon. (If contractions don’t start promptly on their own, you’ll be induced.) Whether the amniotic fluid comes out in a large gush or a small trickle, call your doctor or midwife.

How can I tell if I’m in false labor or true labor ?

Sometimes it’s very hard to tell false labor from the early stages of true labor. Here are some things that might help you sort it out:

• False labor contractions are unpredictable. They come at irregular intervals and vary in length and intensity. Although true labor contractions may be irregular at first, over time they start coming at regular and shorter intervals, become increasingly more intense, and last longer.
• With false labor, the pain from the contractions is more likely to be centered in your lower abdomen. With true labor, you may feel the pain start in your lower back and wrap around to your abdomen.
• False labor contractions may subside on their own, or when you start or stop an activity or change position. True labor contractions will persist and progress regardless of what you do.

This Week’s Activity:

Figure out how to install your baby’s car seat. You can’t bring your baby home without a car seat and it’s harder to install than you think, so don’t wait until the last minute. Some car seat manufacturers have a toll-free number for you to call so an expert can walk you through the process. Or get a car seat safety inspector to help you. To find one in your area, go to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Web site or look in your local phone book.

Figuring out how many months pregnant you are is a daunting task for many women!    That’s why it’s sometimes much easier to just stick with how many weeks you are instead.  Something doesn’t seem quite right when you superficially think about connecting pregnancy weeks with months.  Afterall, if there are 4 weeks in a month and 40 weeks in a pregnancy, doesn’t that equal 10 months?? (40 weeks / 4 weeks = 10 months).

If you use a conventional counting of 4 weeks = 1 month (such as week 1-4 is month one, 4-8 is month two, 8-12 weeks is month three) you’ll soon discover that the 9th month will end at 36 weeks and week 36-40 will be your 10th month! Strange, huh? That’s what makes it so confusing and why going by weeks is much easier to keep track of.

But normal non-pregnant people don’t like to hear “I’m 13 weeks” or “I’m 27 weeks!”.  They like to know which month you are. It took me a while to completely figure out how it worked as well.  But alas, I did!  

Here is a timechart to help you convert your own pregnancy week into the correct month!  Remember, the determination is made based on counting the weeks from your LMP (last period).

It’s not based on any medical knowledge – I just came up with this based on the fact that a “month” is actually 30-31 days long (4 and a half weeks…. four full 7 day weeks  (28 days) plus 3 days, which makes a half week).  A full term pregnancy is any time between the 37th and 42 week, so I calculated the 9th month to last beyond the 40th week.

PREGNANCY CHART:

Month One = Weeks 1 through 4.5 (4.5 weeks)

Month Two = Weeks 4.5 through 9  (4.5 weeks)

Month Three = Weeks 10 through 14.5  (4.5 weeks)

Month Four = Weeks 14.5 through 19 (4.5 weeks)

Month Five = Weeks 19 through 23.5  (4.5 weeks)

Month Six = Weeks 23.5 through 28 (4.5 weeks)

Month Seven = Weeks 28 through 32.5 (4.5 weeks)

Month Eight = Weeks 32.5 through 37 (4.5 weeks)

Month Nine = Weeks 37 through 42  (5 weeks)

Another way you can offer up to people how many “months” you are, is to just go by the calendar month.  For instance, I was fortunate that my LMP ended the last day of July, making the whole month of August, 2007 my “first month” of pregnancy.  Whenever someone asked how many months along Iwas, I just did a quick mental calculation of how many real months had passed.  (September – Month 2, October – Month 3….March – Month 8, etc.).

THE REST OF THE PREGNANCY

THE THIRD TRIMESTER

February, 2008 – 7th Month

During this month, my primary concern was with controlling my sugar intake.  Being classified as a diabetic scared me to pieces!  It was also at the end of this month (my 29th week) that the doctor’s office discovered that they had missed my anatamy scan (typically done between the 18th and 20th week of pregnancy).   So, a week later, I was brought back in for a “30 week” anatamy scan.  Everything looked perfect though, except for the fact that they couldn’t get a clear view of the head for measurement.  The baby was already so low that the ultrasound lady had a hard time getting him in focus!

My weigh in this month was at 145 lbs, meaning that due to the no-sugar diet I was on, I had shed 3 lbs.   I now only weighed 2 lbs over what my starting weight was.   It bugged me completely!  Aren’t pregnant women supposed to gain weight?  I was eating healthier than I ever had been, and was 7 months pregnant, yet I wasn’t gaining like I was “supposed” to.  I couldn’t help but feeling like I was doing something wrong.

My symptoms this month included the still-constant fatigue, light-headednes, the start of breathing difficulties, increased visible movement from the baby, beginning of a “waddle” walk, a definate shape to my belly, and pain from being kicked in the ribs.

On February 4th my husband finally saw (and felt) the baby kick for the first time.  Then at the end of February, I felt the first signs of hiccups!  He’s had the hiccups at least 3 times per day ever since.

Nausea never did make an appearance!  The swelling in my ankles that I experienced pretty badly in January had dissappeared, never to return.

March, 2008 – 8th Month

This month saw the start of my 2 week & then weekly OB visits, as well as some good (and bad) surprises.

On my March 5 appointment, after seeing that I’d lost yet another pound, Doctor Ann encouraged me to not focus so much on sugar control and to add more starches back to my diet.  That was definately easier said than done because just the thought of sugar and starches sent fears shooting through me that I was somehow harming my baby.  Afterall, being classified as a gestational diebetic does not bode well with a first time pregnant woman who happens to be a worry wart!

March 12 came and went, and so did my Complete Blood Count test (CBC).  I hate needles!  Thankfully I made it through this visit with ease.  Maybe I’m getting use to being stuck??  They also tested my insulin during this bloody visit as well.

(And FYI – the results of the CBC test came back perfect as well as the fasting sugar test!)

On March 25, I started the first of my weekly visits.  The countdown truly felt real at this point!  Because I was classified as a gestational diabetic, a weekly ultrasound was also mandated.   My weigh-in this time was 144 lbs.  Great!  I hadn’t lost anything!

Symptoms for this month?   Same as February, except for I now had backaches, increased trouble breathing, absolutely no energy (the constant fatigue went up about 100 notches!), and a few braxton hicks one morning during my 32 week.

EARLY LABOR SCARE – 34 WEEKS, 2 DAYS

Because of the gestational diabetes, I was also scheduled by my OBGYN for weekly Non-Stress tests (NSTs).  My first NST was on Thursday, March 27.   During the test, they determined I was contracting every 2 to 4 minutes (although I honestly didn’t feel anything).  After conferencing with a doctor, they ordered a fetal fibronectin test and also determined that I was between 2-3 Cm’s dialated and more than 50% effaced.  With that, the doctor ordered for me to be admitted. 

During the 4 day hospital stay, I was on a magnesium IV drip (to stop contractions), antibiotics (in case I had beta strep), and also given 2 shots of steroids to mature the baby’s lungs.

The first day, their hope was to prevent labor for just another day or so.  By Saturday, their hope was that he would stay in for a week at least.   Then by the time I was released on Sunday, they were very hopeful that he would stay in for 18 days – at which point I would be 37 weeks and considered full term.   Going through an early labor scare like that (as well as my first ever hospital stay!) was a very, very exhausting and scary experience for me!

I was released on Sunday, March 30, on bedrest – no lifting, no housework, no traveling away from the area, sitting or laying only, no extended walking, and no shopping.

Outside of a prevented birth, the one miraculous moment came when the doctor told me I was no longer classified as a diabetic (a determination that was made after a series of tests they ran on me during the hospital stay).  I was overjoyed, to say the least!

April, 2008 – 9th Month

I am now in my 9th month of pregnancy….and just hit the 36 week mark yesterday.  In one week I will officially be considered full term!  (Full term can mean anywhere from 37 to 42 weeks LMP).  Little Jack is still resting comfortably in my tummy.

Physically, this last month has been the worst on me.  My hips hurt tremendously (due to the softening of bones, says my doctor).  The baby is carrying so low that the doctors can still feel baby head only 2 inches in (they were able to feel him that low at the hospital as well).  I feel at times like I have a bowling ball between my legs…or if I sneeze, he’ll come flying out (wouldn’t that be a funny sight?).   My back aches almost constantly, and I also feel sharp pains in my joints and muscles in my pelvic region at times.   Night time is the worst and the pain gets terrible at times – it’s very hard to find a comfortable position.  I can even sometimes feel his head twisting – it feels somewhat akin to my bones being grinded against my will.   I’ve felt a few contractions every day since being relased, but nothing steady enough to worry about.

The stereotypical pregnant female running to the bathroom at 3 am is also no longer stereotypical for me – it’s real life….and let’s even extend that scenario to 1 am, 2:45 am, 415 am and 5:30 am.   I’ve also gone from being a very, very heavy sleeper to a very light sleeper in less than 9 months.   Yet the contant heavy fatigue still plagues me.  I’ve found that sleeping during the day offers me the best rest, although I’m not sure why?  Perhaps it’s something subconcious?

Fears of labor pains and passing out during labor have also hit me really hard this month as well.

I’ve had 2 more appointments since being released from the hospital – one with the Doctor Fred who will be birthing Little Jack, and the other with Doctor Ann (the RN I usually see).   Doctor Fred confirmed at last week’s appointment that they no longer classified me as diabetic (removing the need for me to do weekly non-stress tests). 

This week, I had my Beta Step test with Doctor Ann.  She also checked once more for dialation and thinning.  Again, she was surprised that she could feel baby head only 2 inches in.  Out of fear of hurting me or starting cramps, she didn’t continue the dialation check.  I’ll find out the results of the beta strep when I return next Thursday.

So for now, at 36 weeks and 1 day pregnant, I’m taking it easy….one day at a time.  The doctors say they have no way of telling if I’ll now go to 40 weeks or not, but I surely don’t think so. 

We’ll just wait and see!

THE REST OF THE PREGNANCY

THE SECOND TRIMESTER 

November, 2007 – 4th Month

My 3rd appointment was on November 1st.  I was 13 weeks pregnant and was scheduled for an ultrasound.  Although Kevin wanted to be there when we learned the sex, he couldn’t get off of work for this appointment.  He assured me that he wanted to go ahead and find out, if possible, at this appointment.   So I did!   My little baby boy was such a ham that there was no question that HE was a HE.  As with most men, my husband was very proud of his son, especially when he saw the pictures.

So that settled it.  Our new baby was now known as “Jack Evan”.  

This was my 4th month and I still had no nausea.  I kept expecting…and even hoping…the nausea would come.  I desired just one good puke in the toilet so I could “feel” pregnant.  But the nausea never came.  I sailed through my 1st trimester…and all remaining months…without even the slightest feeling of nausea.

My only constant reminder was the extreme fatigue I was feeling!   And at the end of this month, only a few days before my 5th pre-natal appointment, I passed out during church that Sunday morning.  It was a very, very scary experience!  The doctor determined that my constant low blood pressure (72 / 50 at that 5th appointment!) was the cause.  He also assured me that there was nothing to worry about – and I should just take it easy.

It was also during the latter part of this month that I started feeling very, very faint flutters of movement.

Weight gain up to now?  Nothing.  I’d lost a pound off of my starting weight.

December, 2007 – 5th Month

By now, my tummy was starting to pooch out and my wardrobe consisted of all materity wear.  I didn’t mind though!  I loved it and relished it.  Besides the still-constant fatigue and fear of fainting again, I felt great.  No other “typical” pregnancy symptoms knocked at my door.  No sir.  It was a great time.

Well, except for a preacher’s wife who eyed me up and down at a restaurant once this month and declared snootily “Well, you don’t look pregnant.” 

My 6th appointment was on December 27.  It wasn’t until later that I learned they should have performed a very, very important anatamy ultrasound scan during this visit.  I had no clue!   The OBGYN office’s only excuse?  “Whoops, we dropped the ball on that one.”   (The error wasn’t discovered until my 29th week of pregnancy!)

The flutters continued through this month.  Nothing definate though.

Weight gain?  5 lbs above my starting weight of 143!  Whoohoo!

January, 2008 – 6th Month

This month was very busy.  We took a 16 hour car drive trip to New York to visit Kevin’s family, and I was given my first baby shower!  It was an exciting time.    The car trip wasn’t even as bad as I thought it would be. 

On January 11th, I also had the delight of actually seeing the baby move for the first time!  I was sitting in our living room recliner, when suddenly my tummy skin moved like snakes were slithering under it.  It was a very precious thing to watch.  Unfortunately, my happiness turned to severe pain when, a week later, he discovered delight in bounding on my intestines. 

Other than being able to feel his movements very well now (and the accompaning pain when he played footsie with my “innards”, I was having what I considered a perfect pregnancy.  No nausea, no sickness, no vomiting, no soreness, not too much weight gain.  Fatigue still plagued me, but it was livable.  Oh, and I did have a few weeks of leg & feet swelling.  One time my feet were so huge I couldn’t find my ankles!  Thankfully the swelling didn’t last too long.

The end of this month, however, brought what felt like (to me) a huge devastation.   First, I failed my 1 hour glucose tolerance test.   Not by much…my score was 144 (the cutoff was 140)…but it was enough to require that I take the 3 hour test.   Within 10 minutes of starting the 3 hour test, I had my first-ever pregnant throw up session.  And with that, the doctor’s office declared me a “gestational diabetic”.

I felt devastated.  What had I done wrong??  Was it my fault?  I was scared for myself, and I was scared for my baby.  The doctors office offered absolutely no guidance other than handing me an information booklet and a generic 2 week menu (which included stuff like lamb, veal,  and even sirloin steak – I don’t eat meat!  Plus it costs a fortune!)

And so thus began my obsession with studying diabetes and learning to cut down on sugar.  Almost all sugar was removed from my diet and I limited myself to no more than 12-15 grams per day.  That meant I would not eat candy, white bread / flour, pastas, white potatoes, fruit juices, sodas, sweet tea, or anything with a high sugar count. 

It was hard to piece all the information together, but with no guidance other than books from the library and the internet, I wanted desparately to do what I could to make sure I didn’t harm my baby.

THE REST OF THE PREGNANCY

THE FIRST TRIMESTER

August, 2007 – 1st Month

Baby conceived in the beginning of August.  We learned about the pregnancy on August 28.  I took 3 pregnancy tests just to prove to myself that I was actually pregnant. 

Symptoms?  None!  I felt no nausea, no soreness, nothing.  I did however have a gut feeling that I was pregnant a full week before I took the tests.

September, 2007 – 2nd Month

I had my first doctor’s appointment on September 12 when I was 6 weeks (to confirm the pregnancy) as well as my first ultrasound.  Instead of doing a blood test, the ultrasound was used to confirm pregnancy as well as test for health, measurements, due date, and growth. 

Our baby was a mere, tiny little speck on the screen at this time!  But he had a heartbeat. 

I also had my 2nd doctor’s appointment at the end of this month, where my first blood test was taken.

I felt no nausea during this month either, even though 1st trimester nausea is quite common.  My only symptoms were tiredness and two sore upper body parts.   I also noticed a “fullness” happening as well as veins popping up on the upper chest area.  To my dismay, the fullness subsided within a few weeks.

My starting weight?  143 lbs.

October, 2007 – 3rd Month

I was now in my 3rd month, and had just been laid off from my job of 4 years.  We’d always planned for me to be a stay-at-home mommy so after some discussion & lots of prayer we decided that I wouldn’t be going back to work during the pregnancy!  Although we had faith God would provide, it was hard at first to put that faith into practice.  Our main worries were that we would 1) not have money to purchase supplies for our baby and 2) we would not be able to keep up with bills.  

By now, the upper-body-part soreness had also dissappeared and constant fatigue was the only thing that reminded me I was pregnant.

That, and the fact that my pants no longer felt comfortable buttoned.  I ditched my pre-preggy clothes this month in favor of the oh-so-stylish pregnancy pants with the 3 inch band.  Ahhhh….relief.