Etsy Love

I am in love with the prints at this etsy shop.  Trafalgar's Square, a husband and wife team from California, create these perfectly innocent images of animals doing things like reading books or having tea parties.  

Love.

You can call me Mrs. Brown.

Yay!  Another thing off my Before Baby To-Do List!  Wednesday I went downtown and met up with the Social Security guy to change my name!  It's been over two years since I married, but it took me that long to decide on what my new name will be.  I just couldn't let go of my maiden name!  There's not many people with it (it's German), and it makes me feel unique.  I don't have strong ties to that whole side of my family (in fact, it's been over 25 years since I've even seen my aunt/uncle/grandparent of that side... and I'm only 27 years old), so it's purely a vain name thing.

So I changed my name so that my maiden name is now my second middle name.  It's there for me, and pretty much only me.  But it's there.  Keeps me unique.  

Because there are so many Mrs. Browns out there.

Friday Fill-Ins.

Join in here.

1. While the cat's away I will miss the cuddles and lap-warming.

2. The weekend is fabuloso!

3. Children draw the weirdest things on free-choice days.

4. I always have a to-do list when I get home from work or shopping or what have you.

5. This may seem odd, but I'm really excited to go grocery shopping today (good deals and coupons!).

6. I just read about NaBloPoMo and that seems like a fine idea to me!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to, umm... grocery shopping, tomorrow my plans include working on sewing projects for baby (like a quilt and slings and baby legs, oh my!) and Sunday, I want to build a bookshelf for baby's room!

33 Weeks! And heartfelt letter to Lentil.

Dear Adelaide,

You really put your moma into a frizzy this week.  You decided to turn breech for a few days, which is when your head is up, when it's supposed to be down.  I knew right away when it happened, because I could feel your head like a hard roundness at the top of my belly.  I could also feel strong kicks down low.... kicks that made me go "woah!"  They were very strong.

A couple of days later, we had an appointment with our midwife, and she confirmed what I knew was true.  You were breech.  She told me to put a board against the couch and lay down on it with my head down, so I was inverted.  That was supposed to get you up out of the pelvic area so you would have room to turn.  I did that a few times over the weekend and it worked!  

Everything started feeling normal again, and I made a quick appointment with the midwife just to have her feel my belly so I could stop worrying.  And of course, I already knew, but you had turned back the way you were supposed to be and you were head down.  She even thought that maybe you were already becoming engaged, which is getting ready for birth!  We still have 6.5 weeks though, so don't be too anxious to come out, please!

Why did it freak me out so badly that you were breech?  (And why does it freak me out that you could still change your mind and become breech again?)  If you were to be breech when I went into labor, I wouldn't be able to birth you at the birth center.  I would have to find an obstetrician in the last month or so, and chances are that doctor would immediately recommend a c-section, which is surgery to get you out.  Not many doctors are trained anymore how to help a woman birth a breech baby.  There are a lot of complications, but it can be done.  

[I was hiding from the neighbors so they wouldn't think I was silly for taking pictures in the front yard.]

A c-section is still a possibility, and I know that.  I know that even if I begin labor at the birth center, an unforeseen complication could arise and make us have to transfer to the hospital.  But that would be after we tried a natural birth.  

When I was picturing myself having a c-section the couple of days you were breech, I was so worried.  I know what surgery would do to me.  Physically healing would be tough.  But the emotional healing would be way harder.  After working towards a natural birth for 8 months so far, to have to change plans to a medicated surgery where our first picture would be me dazed out and your dad holding your precious body next to my face so we could meet.... That's not what I want (although, again, I know it could happen).  I just don't want that scenario.  I hope, hope, hope that was the only "scare" this pregnancy will give me.  

[Kevin thinks I look like the girl from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory who swallowed the blueberry gum!]

I want to be fully awake and aware and raw when I meet you.  I can't wait to hold your newly birthed body against my chest and feel your slippery skin and smell your baby smell.  I'm so excited to meet you and I love you so much!  Each week that passes, as we get so close, I really can't contain the emotions I'm feeling.  

Things are coming together in so many ways, and your dad and I are preparing for the best part of our lives: you.

We love you!

Love,

Moma

Midwife Check-Up

Yesterday I went to the midwife for her to feel my belly, and Adelaide is in the PERFECT POSITION! :)

I guess she wanted to freak me out for a little bit by going breech for a week, but everything feels good now.

Midwife said that her head felt very low, possibly engaged (to which Kevin said, "everything's going so fast! I haven't even met her yet and she's already engaged!... silly!). She was able to tell me where all her little parts were: her butt, her feet, her back. She held a babydoll over my belly to help me visualize her position.

Also, from what I read on Spinning Babies, most babies that are breech who do turn, end up being posterior (baby's back at moma's back, resulting in back labor - ouch!). Adelaide is NOT posterior! Her back is to the left of my belly button, which is the best position right now. That will make it easier for her to center herself when the time comes, and be able to come right out the way she's supposed to. I'm doing a lot of pelvic rocks every night to help her stay that way (one thing the Bradley method encouraged).

So yay! Keep your fingers crossed that she'll stay this way for me! No more freaking mom out, Adelaide!

I was right...

Friday we went to the midwife and sure enough my moma instinct was right on.  I had a breech baby in there.  Her head was way up high and those were definitely strong kicks I was feeling in my nether-regions.

Midwife showed me how to invert, so when I got home the hubs found a nice piece of poplar to prop up on the couch and I laid on it, head-down myself.  Apparently this is so that the baby gets up out of the pelvic region and has room to turn herself.  I did that a few times over the weekend, and by Sunday things were feeling different.

I definitely feel either little hands or feet higher now, with lots of high-up movement.  But I can't tell where her head is.  She's definitely turned at least a little bit because her head is not at the top, but like I said, I just can't tell exactly where it is.  

So I emailed my midwife yesterday and asked to come in today, even though our official appointment isn't until next Tuesday... just so she can feel my belly.  Hopefully she'll give me good news so I can stop worrying.  Or maybe she'll say that Adelaide has some more turning to do and to get back on the board.  Either way, I need to know.

Breech for me is not good.  If she were to stay breech, I wouldn't be able to give birth at the birth center, as it's against their licensure.  And for most OBs... a breech baby is an automatic c-section, which is the TOTAL opposite of everything I've been working towards this whole eight months.  When I heard that my suspicions of her being breech were right, my mind instantly pictured a forever-scar, both physically and emotionally that I knew would be difficult for me to heal.  I imagined that first picture where I'd be drugged up and confined to the table, and Kevin would be holding Adelaide up to my head so we could meet.  That's not the meeting I want.  I fully realize that healthy baby, healthy moma is the outcome we're striving for no matter what that means... but I really want to avoid a c-section if possible.

So we'll see!  11:30 a.m. is when I find out!  Cross your fingers for me!

A few things. And Friday Fill-In.

I have a midwife appointment this afternoon.  I'm nervous.  Adelaide has been sitting differently in my belly all week, and I've been feeling strong movements way down low and not many up top.  I'm worried she's breech.  At almost 33 weeks she is probably getting into whatever position she's going to be in, and breech is not what I want.  We'll find out today, and I'll let you know.

I've been busy busy busy working on the house.  At the end of each night this week I survey my progress and it doesn't seem like much, but I know that at least some progress is being made.  My baby shower is in a couple of weeks, at my house, so that's kind of a deadline that I'm trying to meet.  Have the house presentable by then.  Which basically means not cluttered and halfway clean.

And one more teeny tiny thing:

Help the Teemant family.  I don't know this family, and I can only somewhat imagine what they are going through as the dad suffers from stage IV melanoma.  No matter how many projects are on my to-do list or how many bills I have to pay, I know they are nothing compared to what this family is dealing with right now.  I hope hope hope that he can get better for his wife and children.

Now for the Friday Fill-In, because they are so fun:

1. One of my strongest beliefs is that all people and animals are equal in the world.  There is no one being more important or higher than another.

2. My belly is getting huge!
 
3. The sky is cloudy with a threat of rain and wind and cold, so I wore a jacket and scarf today.

4. My bed, with all its layers and fluff is comforting to me.

5. I always thought I'd be a mom of a school-aged kid by now.

6. The students have been crazy this week so I vented to another teacher.  After hearing her theory, I agreed and then I went outside to look at the full moon.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching the show Medium, tomorrow my plans include a major purging of clutter and Sunday, I want to work on some cute bunting for Adelaide's room!