Changing OB's and Transferring Care During Pregnancy

Today I would have been going to the OB for a fun ol' glucose test. But as you may remember, I have started my prenatals at the Birth Center with the Midwife. I had dreaded calling to cancel with the OB for days.
Monday I finally hiked up my big girl panties and canceled my appointment... If they call back Shawn helped me decide what to say: "I want more natural care and I don't want to birth in a hospital, so I chose a provider who would help me accomplish those goals."
I don't know why I am so nerve-wracked about leaving that office. They helped me a lot when I needed surgery for my cyst last year but I'm healthy now, and so is my baby, so I'm just not comfortable with how hard they are pushing me for vaccinations (Flu, TDaP) and stuff.
I don't like how they say "You'll have to get a TDaP at your next appointment..."
I can actually refuse any treatment, but I'd prefer not to mentally and emotionally prepare myself for a fight before each appointment or even before--wouldn't this be fun--the birth.
I get more of a sense of control at the birth center, like they wait for you to let them know what you'd like to do. They let you know of all the options but they are given to you as options.

My next appointment with the Midwife is next Friday and I have to do that glucose test. Yee...
I'll let you know how that goes.

27 Weeks Pregnant (just about...)

Tomorrow is the last day of the 2nd trimester. The "honeymoon" phase of pregnancy has escaped me until recently but it is turning out to be glorious nonetheless. My skin is clearing up (finally!) and my newly-cut hair is thick and shiny and awesome. My weight gain is distributing itself nice and more evenly, even if my thighs are a bit more jiggly than before... Days that I feel good I feel really good and don't puke, but sometimes I still have really rough days or mornings where I just ralph my face off. It's a trade, I guess.
I am happy and so, so in love with Shawn. I cried on my way to work yesterday thinking about handing him the baby for the first time... I cry a lot lately (hormones!) but that really choked me up!

This next week or two will be really busy! Monday we get our taxes done, Friday I have an appointment with the Midwife, and Saturday the winner of the Belly Cast competition will be announced! PLEASE, PLEASE vote for mine! Simply go here and "like" the photo to "vote!"
Sunday we are going to a Baby Fair to try and win lots of good stuff and mingle with other Omaha parents/parents-to-be. It should be fun!
This week in the mail we received baby's first all-in-two diaper from Cherry Blossom Babies turned out! It's so tiny!!!

I got my diaper cover making supplies the other day for our own diaper covers so after my friend's hoodie is finished I will start on those as well.

Hope your week goes by nicely; take care!

Baby Kicks Back!

Last week I mentioned posting a video of baby movements. I got a little one this morning to show you! It's just over 10 seconds long but you can see me find the baby's foot, poke it, and get kicked back in the belly button area a couple times. Take a look if you like!

We're almost at 27 weeks, the last week before the final trimester!!! How has time gone so fast?

Snooooow!

Apparently we are supposed to get lots and lots of snow from now until tomorrow morning in our area. I may not be back to blog tomorrow so I'll just do it today.

We may have found support for our home birth. If not, we still have the birthing center as an option. I'm just waiting for a phone call. Now I plan to snuggle up with my crochet project in progress and a couple of sock monkeys also in progress for two little girls' birthdays this week.

If you're in Omaha or Nebraska, stay safe and warm! If you are elsewhere, be glad for no snow!

26 Weeks Pregnant

 Everything is starting to really stretch out with the baby weighing over a pound now, especially in the positions s/he prefers to lie. At the first prenatal with the Midwife on Saturday, her nurse-practitioner (Midwife was actually delivering a baby and coudln't make it) felt my belly for baby's position and said it's already upside down!
YAY! Stay, baby, stay.
Baby has lately been hanging out either directly up and down with his or her butt behind my belly button (feels like my hips are breaking!), or to either side with his or her head in one side of my pelvis and the bum on the opposite side up behind my navel. I get lots of kicks to the sides of my belly and to my stomach and little punches down lower in my hips and bladder area. They're forceful and also visible to the outside. I might have to video this for you all to see.

As for me, I'm still puking. I have resigned to being one of the very few  women who puke the entire pregnancy. My mom even asked me if I was sure I didn't have the flu... Maybe baby-flu.
I can deal with it on a daily basis to my best ability but the thing that really sucks still is the lack of understanding from others in my community.
No one will help me and approve me for FMLA hours (that I EARNED all YEAR) for puking and the Midwife's office kind of didn't want to fill them out at all.  UM  I NEED THOSE so I can leave work for Prenatal Appointments that will occur during work hours... like the next one that is already scheduled. The Midwife's office doesn't know what kind of people I work with and this entire commuity has very little understanding of FMLA laws (especially for pregnancy).
For once in my life I am asking for what I need when I need it and I am refused help. WTF?
I told Shawn I hope I get a "warm-fuzzy" sometime at the Midwife's place or I'll only be slightly more comfortable there on baby's Birthday than I would at a good hospital.
I cry a lot lately and I blame hormones, sleepiness and stress. All the stress, it should be noted, is from trying to work full time while still having to puke all the time. The more stressed I am, the more I puke. And then I cry. It's getting vicious after 5 months of this.
I just want it to be May so I can have our baby and stop puking!!!

Cloth Diaper Stash: Started

$70
That is all we need to diaper our baby from newborn to about 5 months old.

$400+
That is what we would need to disposable-diaper our baby for the same amount of time with the bulk-packs (best deal) of Target's store-brand up&up diapers.

Yeah. I'm stupid for cloth diapering. Riiight.
The first half of costs are for prefolds, which are actual diapers. You fold these up and onto the baby, securing with pins and then cover baby with a diaper cover. Locally I can purchase prefolds for $1.49 each and I need 20, so that's about $30. And I'm supporting local mothers.
The second half of expenses are for covers. Covers can make or break the budget for cloth diapering because there's a lot of variety. Parents can become addicted to the different prints on covers and end up spending more on covers than disposables would ever cost. It just varies family-to-family. For our family, I plan to use about 6 covers on rotation. 3 white, 1 checked, 1 elephant print and one I have already ordered with foxes on them. All but the foxy cover I will make with PUL fabric (coated with plastic on one side).

from Diaper Sewing Supplies

OK, since I just have a feeling, I bought a girly printed piece of PUL. If I can't use it, I'll sellit ;o)

Along with the pieces of PUL for covers, I bought elastic to trim the diaper and cinch in the leg holes as well as TouchTape hook-and-loop tape for the closure on the cover. A lot of parents who cloth diaper don't prefer TouchTape or Velcro because it picks up lint and wears out quicker than snaps. I only plan to use the newborn-size diapers for 5 months so I don't care to buy a snap-setter just yet. I will when the baby can wear one-sized covers.
All of this including shipping cost me $34.00

So total is actually $64, but I rounded up to give disposables a fair shot ;o)

If you're curious to see what the cost is for cloth vs. disposable, I used this calculator from Diaper Pin. Kind of interesting!

Happy Valentine's Day!

via RSPCA

Hope you have a lovely day!

The Uncommon Effect

Tuesday was apparently "Try to Make Hillary Defend Her & Shawn's Parenting Choices Day." From cloth diapering to unmedicated birth, I was called stupid and received eye-rolls for things I really believe in. I don't remember how the cloth diapering came up at work, but I was asked directly if I was cloth diapering and when I replied "yes," I was told "You're stupid" by a mother of 2 children and a new dad of a baby under 6 months. I just shot back gently that "90% of babies were cloth diapered in the '50's," and that "it's our choice." We don't have a 1950's model washing machine... I'm sure it can be done now with the new technology of our fandangled agitator washer. I was lightly backed up by another person present who had actually been cloth diapered as a baby and he said his mom did just fine with it about 40 or 50 years ago.

I thought I had made it through the day with my one parenting mini-battle but it was not the case. Later we went to the hospital I chose in case we have a premature labor event (which WON'T happen) and we were touring with one other pregnant couple who were also expecting their first baby in just a few weeks. The nurse giving the tour asked if anyone was doing natural (unmedicated!) labor and birth and I waived my hand at her. I noticed the other mommy-to-be rolling her eyes at me and whispering something to her husband as the nurse began to explain how the hospital bed can change positions to assist with that process.

What. The. Fuck.
I sat quietly and politely and listened when the nurse discussed epidurals and things that don't apply to me without judging her choices. That was really, really sad that she reacted to my choice. Every woman deserves respect and honor for her chosen and desired birth experience, whatever that may be. You don't have to agree with someone else's birth plan, but it's not yours; you won't have to go through her birth. As a fellow woman I support any woman's choices during her birth that she wants to make because I would want the same respect to make my own choices during mine.
Everything at the hospital itself was pleasantly surprising and we feel really good if we have to end up there for something so unpleasant to experience as the fear of premature labor and delivery (which WON'T happen).
After the tour I asked Shawn if he saw her do that and he said that yes, he had. Then I told him about the cloth diaper war and we had a long discussion about commonality with the birth experience and what happens when someone chooses something less common. The plain fact of the matter is that a lot of people have epidurals and c-sections; a lot of people use disposable diapers; and a lot of people find out the sex of the baby before it is born. So when people find out through their own inquiries that we are doing none of those things, I don't think people believe it, so they scoff. They probably have no first-hand experience doing what we are going to attempt and have possibly never even had second-hand experience through anyone else. But that's the thing: these are all experiences that are individual to each person going through them. No birth experience is the same, ever. We can all learn from each other so be curious, not judgemental.

To voice your opinions on the baby's sex, weight, date of birth and more visit here!

25 Weeks Pregnant

Baby has open nostrils now (they had coverings!) and can hear very well. I feel finger movements! Baby can control his or her reflexes better and better as the days go by.
We have done baby-related things everyday this week so far and it's getting more real that we'll have a baby soon... and sometimes I even believe that the baby is inside me now. I still have lots of denial, but it's fading. I mean, it's hard not to acknowlege an increasingly heavy and jabby-elbowed mass laying on your guts all night while you are sleeping. If you have cats you know exactly what I mean.

In the last week I have gone from the bizarre pregnancy sleep patterns which once plagued me to sleeping from 10:30ish PM to 5:30 or 6:30 AM. I usually only get up once to pee, maybe twice. I feel a lot more rested on the days I get to sleep until 6:30 or later than I have for a long time.
I am STILL puking.
Seriously.
Yesterday and today sucked for it, too. But it usually doesn't happen again for the rest of the day. Usually.
So I've had morning sickness this entire time and only now, when it "should be" gone, is it the intensity and frequency it should have been when we were back having fun with Zofran. Weeeeird.
I also finished yet another crochet hoodie for the baby.

Shawn and I are changing in lots of ways. We think about the baby a lot, and discuss how easy it is getting to give the bird to the nay-sayers we encounter when we are questioned about our choices. We're getting called stupid, receiving eye rolls and being laughed at when we are asked about cloth diapering, unmedicated birth and not finding out the sex of the baby quite often now. The only thing I can think of is that we're gaining a thick skin with which to defend our baby with before s/he is here and that it will be in place once s/he is born. Then we will be ready to stand up against anything for him or her.

RAIDER NATION (+1 Member)

When Shawn and I got married, we knowingly and willingly joined each other's "teams." He was raised loving the Expos, UCLA and the Raiders. I was raised loving the University of Michigan... and not many other teams. OK, maybe the Dolphins... maybe.
Now these teams may not have the best running stats (especially this year and recent years) but we are no fair-weathered fans here.
The baby will be raised the same way, wearing all the gear we can find. Auntie Heather (Shawn's sis) has even helped with this by buying the baby UCLA and U of M onesies for Christmas. So when the versatility of my sloper pattern for a baby hoodie became apparent to me last week, I got busy with some licensed Raider's fleece.

It turned out so well and it is so thick from the lining that it's like its own jacket. I could toss this on the baby with a onesie and some black pants and need nothing else but a hat or headband for baby to be game-ready. Instead of crocheting each piece for the hoodie, I simply measured and cut fabric, assembled it the same way and voila, no crochet was used in the making of this hoodie. Pattern still WORKS.

I am nowhere near done making these... this is only going to get worse. ;o)

It's Friday, I'm in LoVE! #42

I think I may have finally gotten that "second-trimester energy burst" as evidenced by my sewing projects and all the progress we have made with planning for baby. Too bad the third trimester starts in less than 4 weeks... maybe it'll last?

So today I love me because:

1. We went to the birth center last night. You guys... it's pretty. And warm. And clean. And it doesn't smell like hospital.
2. I trusted my instincts and went with the doula I love. She gives me more assurance that I chose the right woman everyday. When I told her we were bummed about no home birth, she framed it to me like this "We will transfer to the birth center at the latest time possible." So now in my mind, I'm having a home birth and transferring to the center.
3. I didn't puke today!
4. I'm in full-on production mode for making baby things. If I am wielding scissors and fabric, keep your fingers farrrrr away.
5. I made an appointment with the midwife to transfer my prenatal care over to her for the remainder of my pregnancy. I know I'll be more comfortable there.

Tonight we are doing a plaster cast of my belly for a local competition. I'm very excited to make one with Shawn!

What are you doing this weekend and what are you happy you accomplished this week?

Update + New Hoodie Preview

The doctor's appointment went alright yesterday, baby's heart rate was 154 bpm! I have gained a net total of 16 pounds considering the weight loss from early morning sickness. My uterus is growing perfectly for how far along I am and the baby is wiggly & jiggly. We couldn't ask for more!
The PN didn't seem concerned with my complaints of stubborn morning sickness, tingly hands/arms, and sleep deprivation. She did tell me to get enough sleep but not to eat when I wake up hungry at 4AM... I'll keep that in mind as I enjoy my cheerios anyhow...

Next appointment is at the end of the month and I'll need to do my glucose test, which is another form of hell. You have to drink this flavored, sugar-loaded liquid an hour before your appointment, show up early and have them draw your blood at exactly one hour after drinking the fluid. You can also eat a gigantic king sized Snickers bar, which I plan to do instead of inevitably puking up the orange glucola. Seriously, people. An hour is the magic amount of time between ingesting something I don't want and puking it up quite frequently, so I know how this might go.

Tonight we are going to visit the local birth center and check that business out. I really want to give birth there since we can't stay at home; I just don't want to go to a hospital (in my mind they are for sick people only). I would also be continuing all my prenatal care with the midwife there as well.
We're really excited to visit there tonight! I'll post up how it is!

Oh, and that Raider's hoodie I mentioned?

Yeahhhhh. More coming soon!

24 Weeks Pregnant

This is really how big the baby is... it's not any reference to Nebraska.

Baby continues to get so much bigger and heavier. I feeeeeels it. And I really felt that kick in line at Pepperjax last night, OK, baby?! I couldn't make them go any faster! I swear I felt a heel or toes or something...
Baby has been hanging out up near my navel more now that my uterus is stretching in 'segments.' I had no idea that happened. O.o
I'm hungry, hungry, hungry. Sometimes I surprise myself at how much I can eat at one time and how much I cannot; my stomach is still fickle and I still am plagued by morning sickness. Instead of sickness 20x/day it's now down to about 5-7x/week. I'll take it.
I'm exhausted a lot but I am driven by making things and getting things for the baby. I was so hungry yesterday when I came home that I did have a quick handful of cheerios but I was so blindly distracted by my pattern cutting for the baby's new Raider's hoodie (in progress!) that I didn't remember to eat and got sick. I'm crazy. I know.
My appointment is today at my doctor's office. I'll send out a quick update later!

And now... if you're pregnant, this next bit might entertain you and help you out:
Did you know there is such a thing as "maternity underwear?"

It's looks exactly how you probably think it looks.

Offbeat Families Loves the Hoodie!

Yay! The blocked crochet baby hoodie pattern is up live on OBF as a featured guest post! Huuuyeah!

I'll just leave this here...



White Serval via Big Cat Rescue



Cake Bake, ca. 2010

Yeeeeah . . .

It's Friday, I'm in LoVE!!! #41 + Belly Pic!

Today I am very proud of myself; I have done a lot of things in January.

1. I can finally see that I am a FREAKING VENUS. I feel like Venus herself in Botticelli's painting especially when I am... ahem, nuuuude.
2. I set and exceeded my pageview goal for the blog this month. I actually exceeded page views for any period of 30 days this month since I have been blogging. WOAH.
3. I blame #2 on solid, original, and desirable content (for once...) that I produced.
4. I connected with a lot of people this month. We hung out with our friends and family, had people over for dinner, and it was great!

If you missed last week's LoVE feature, check it out!
So what are you proud of that you got done last month?