Introducing Zaiden Alexander!

We have a baby!! All that worry about inducing and interventions turned out to be needless. Here's our story...

After our doctor's appointment on the 14th,  Eric and I were determined to do everything we could to have our baby naturally. We went ahead and scheduled our non-stress test and amniotic fluid check for Monday, April 18 at 9 a.m. and figured we'd deal with any induction talk after, like we agreed with our doctor. In the meantime, we tried every thing to get Little Z out. We had eggplant parmesean, ate super spicy food at Nanima's house and walked for miles and miles. I even asked Julie to pick up the famous labor-inducing lemon drop cupcakes from Charlottesville! On Sunday, I ate 2 lemon drop cupcakes, walked 4 miles and Eric and I went our for Thai to celebrate my birthday a bit early with my parents. Around 7 pm, I started getting mild contractions - nothing worth timing and I could easily walk/talk through them. That evening, the contractions slowed down and I was a bit disappointed. I was really hoping not to make it to our appointment on Monday. However, no such luck. Sooo, I had a lemon drop cupcake and Eric and I started off my birthday with a trip to the doctor's/hospital for tests. We packed our toiletries and added them to the hospital bag

At the tests, they said that everything looked good. It did take some time though because they were concerned about the baby's heartrate and wanted to make sure they got a good reading. They were able to pick up on my contractions and noted that they were anywhere from 4-7 mins apart. We then called my doctor and they said to call back when contractions were more regular. We figured we'd go home, eat, and labor there for a while before going in. I said I wanted to wait until contractions were 3 mins apart lasting 1 minute each and were consistent for 1 hr. Well, we got home around noon and my contractions started coming on strong: 2 -3 mins apart, lasting 1.5-2 mins. I ate 1 small piece of banana bread while Eric tried to eat something more substanital for lunch.  After about 30 mins, we called the doctor and they told us to go to labor and delivery.  By the time we finished loading up the last things we needed and got to the hospital it was 1:00. We checked in and were taken to triage. They hooked me up to the monitors and asked if I had thought about whether or not I wanted an epidural. We told them we wanted to go natural and that was the last time anyone mentioned pain meds. Seeing as how I didn't want any meds, I asked to be allowed to labor outside the bed. I really didn't feel like walking, but laboring on my hands and knees was really the most comfortable position for me at this point.They were super accomodating and added extra straps so that the monitors would stay on in that position and they could get a good read. After the initial reading, they checked me and I was already at a 6!

I then moved from triage to a full out L&D room. They re-hooked me up to the monitors and I continued to labor out of the bed for the next hour or so. Things started to get more uncomfortable and I moved to the bed on my side. I was definitely more vocal as well, but I concentrated on deep breathing and I think I sounded pretty primal as I groaned through the contractions. Somehow it helped create an outlet for the pain. An hour later, my doctor came in to check me and I was already an 8. I knew I was close and the hard part was about to start, but I had no idea exactly what I was in store for.

The next two hours were really hard. My contractions were really close together without any real breaks. The pain would peak, go down, but then remain constant until it peaked again. I thought I was super loud (and I know Eric did too), but at one point our nurses came in and asked how I was doing because they hadn't heard me in a while! 2 hours after I had been checked, the doctor checked me again and I was still and 8, with a bulging bag of water. The doctor told me I could continue to labor and let my bag break naturally or they could rupture my membranes. Before I was in labor, I had wanted my bag to rupture on its own, but Eric and I talked it over and decided to let the doctor break my bag. We thought it would help get me to dialate faster. I knew once they broke my water, the contractions would be more intense, but I had no idea what that really meant. The first 2 after my water broke weren't so bad...maybe a slight increase in pain, but not a drastic increase. The ones after that though, were on a whole different level. I think I must have said "I can't do this" and/or "I'm going to die" about a hundred times in the next 30 mins. Eric and my nurses were incredible though - telling me that I was doing it.  About 15 minutes after they broke my water, I started bearing down slightly whenever I had contractions and that helped get me through them a bit. About 15 minutes after that, I told the nurse that I felt like pushing a bit.

The doctor checked me and told me I was a 9 and that I could bear down during contractions if I wanted and that it would help me to get that last bit of cervix out of the way. The nurse was really fabulous and helped me to concentrate all the energy from my contractions into pushing. I think she and the doctor were both really suprised and how effectively I was pushing. I really have zero concept of how long things took, but according to Eric, I was really only pushing for 20-40 mins total. Pushing was a really interesting experience and it was kind of hard. It provided an incredible relief from the contractions, but it took a lot of work and there is absolutely no way for me to describe the sensation of pushing out our baby. It was exhilirating and amazing and scary and painful all at the same time.

Giving birth without any interventions or medication was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but also one of the best and the one that I am most proud of. I'm so glad that I was able to feel every second of it - yes, parts were really painful, but it was so worth it.  It is probably the only reason I didn't really tear (just one tiny stitch is all i needed)...I could feel my contractions and I could feel when to push and when to stop. I could feel every inch of him as he came out and it was truly an exhilirating experience. And I swear I forgot how much it all hurt the second he was placed on my belly. Eric said that my change in demenor was instantaneous - one minute I was focused, like an athelete and the next I was back to my old self, asking the nurse to take pictures and ready to walk myself to recovery (which they wouldn't allow because of hospital policies).

So far recovery has been fabulous. I was honestly ready to leave the hospital by noon on the 19th. Every couple of hours they come in to check on your pain level...I felt bad because my pain level was non-existant. I did take the motrin they offered because Eric wanted to make sure I didn't have any issues with swelling or the like, but since we've been home I've been feeling great! Eric has been trying to make me relax and take it slow. I've been dying to get a killer workout in since about a month ago, so Eric agreed that if I took it easy, we could go for a short walk this weekend and see how things went. I'm hoping that I can start walking again for real next week. I'm sure the gym will have to wait a while until we can get Zaiden into a regular schedule. for now, we're just going by his cues - feeding when he feels like feeding, and sleeping when he feels like. So far, it's been working out well:)

Being a parent is seriously one of the best jobs ever! Everyday we fall more in love with him and with each other. For now, here's a little video from Zaiden's first day home...

Zaiden's First Day Home

I DO NOT Want to be Induced!!

Ugh! Just got back from the doctor's and we had to start talking induction. I seriously do not want to be induced and I sure as hell do not want to be induced before the latest due date comes around (April 23). Basically, we have to go in for a non-stress test (NST) and to check on the amniotic fluid levels sometime early next week. If the fluid levels are OK, I should be "allowed" to go until Thursday. I am so upset about this. I'm sure everything is going to be fine with the tests, but I am livid that someone is trying to tell me when I have to have my baby by. Last time I checked this was still my body and my baby and I am really not comfortable inducing before the 23rd (I actually don't feel comfortable until April 30, which would be 1 week past my later due date).

Eric and I are both really hoping that Little Z will come on his own before late next week. I know I said I had a feeling he would come on my birthday and as much as I said it would suck to be in labor on my birthday, at this point, there is nothing I want more! It would be the best birthday present ever because it would mean I could give our son a truly med-free experience. As childish as it seems, it just doesn't seem fair - I've done everything I can to keep Little Z as healthy as possible and to prepare for a natural labor and delivery. Now, because some doctor decided his "educated guess" about when this baby should come is better/more important than what my baby and body decide is the right time for the baby to come, we have to figure out how to get Little Z to get out on someone else's timeline.

I just wish there was a doctor or midwife somewhere that would trust that my body and my baby know what they are doing. I'm all for monitoring after the due date - I'll go in every day for an NST or Biophysical Profile, or whatever they want me to do. I just wish the maternity system we have in the US would stop acting like my body is somehow broken because I don't give birth right at 40 weeks. 41 wks 3 days is AVERAGE for the the first-time mom. Anyone with half a brain can figure out that average means some come earlier than that and some come later than that, so for every baby that comes at 39 weeks, shouldn't there be a baby that comes at 44 weeks?

So this turned out to be more a vent that I was planning on, but I do feel better getting some of that out. Now your turn to help...if you have any suggestions ofr natural ways to jump start labor, let me know!! We've already tried tons of walking (5 miles/day), pineapple, spicy foods and other "fun" ways.  We're trying red raspberry leaf tea tonight, but other than that, we're out of ideas. If you have any other tips or tricks, let us know!!

False Alarm

Last night, I was pretty sure that by this time today, we would be at the hospital getting ready to have our baby. But alas, I'm at home writing here, so clearly that didn't happen. I woke up around 1:45 a.m. with some contractions. Nothing too painful, but more intense than the ones I felt over the weekend and I had to breathe through the peaks. After about an hour, we decided to try and time them, and to my surprise they were about a minute long and anywhere from 2.5 -5.5 minutes apart. We timed them for about an hour, and though they had started out to be about 2.5 mins apart they were getting further and further apart. They did stop around 4:30 though (or got mild enough that I could sleep through them) and I slept quite nicely for the rest of the night.  There was a point around 3 or 3:15 where we were both wide awake and Eric swore he wasn't going to sleep for the next 2 days (he did, by the way manage to go back to sleep).  Hopefully all this means we won't have to wait too much longer to meet this kid!

Impatient!

As much as I LOVE being pregnant, I am sooo ready to meet our baby! I know he's still cooking and clearly not ready to come out just yet, but I'm just so anxious. I think I finally felt some Braxton Hicks (or maybe really light contractions) this weekend. They were on and off for most of the day yesterday (probably about 10-15 mins apart for the first half of the day), but definitely super mild and nothing unbearable. In fact, I didn't even think they could be Braxton Hicks or contractions until Eric felt my belly and commented on how hard and tight it was! So that, in addition to the info on how dialated I was on Friday got us really excited about maybe meeting our baby soon. I even tried telling Little Z that he should come because we're excited to meet him. Then Eric reminded me that if this child took after me, I should maybe tell him to stay put longer (since I liked to do the opposite of whatever my parents/any authority figure would tell me). However, no such luck yet. I took Buddy for a good 3 mile walk this morning (and I even jogged the last 1/2 mile, which was hilly) in the hopes of starting something, but alas I've got nothing. I guess I'll try again later this afternoon. We are having some eggplant for dinner (tried lots of spicy food this weekend, but that did nothing), so maybe we'll pick up a pineapple for dessert and see if any of those old wives tales actually work....

Progress!

We had our weekly doctor's appointment today, and I have to admit, I was a little nervous. I was afraid he was going to start talking induction and the like (even though he said when I first met with him that I could go to 42 weeks) and I was kind of afraid of getting an internal. Luckily, there was NOTHING for me to worry about. I did get my first internal and it really wasn't that bad - a little uncomfortable, but definitely not painful. In case you might be interested in the state of my cervix, we found out that I was dialated to 4 cm. The doctor seemed pleasantly surprised since I had been telling him that I haven't felt any contractions. I'm actually super excited about that part - I'm taking it as a sign that I'll be able to manage my contractions well once the time actually comes that I feel them. Also, while I know dialation at this stage doesn't mean anything, it is good to know that in the event that we do have to have an induction, my body is favorable.

Speaking of induction, the doctor did mention that he thought I would have the baby sometime in the next week. I don't think Little Z is going to come until next weekend, but we'll see. The doctor also mentioned that if he did see me next week, they'd check the amniotic fluid levels to make sure Little Z was still doing OK. As long as the levels looked good, he'd let me go another week. He did say that if didn't have the baby by Monday, that I could call and schedule an induction if I wanted, but I politely declined and said I'd like to wait:)

So now we wait, but in the meantime, I've made lots of fun plans to keep myself somewhat entertained. I'm going absolutely bonkers already! I've finished almost everything I need to for work and there is nothing left for me to clean/organize at home. I'm really looking forward to the weekend. We're taking a CPR class all day on Saturday, then Eric is making me some spicy buffalo wings for dinner:) On Sunday, I'm meeting up with Julie for brunch and my mom is going to come over and hang out with us in the afternoon. Then, on Wednesday, if Little Z is still not here, I'm meeting up with Cindy for lunch in the city. At least there's some fun stuff to look forward to in the next little while to keep me a bit distracted. And since it's such a GORGEOUS day outside, I think I'll distract myself a bit more and take the dog for another good walk!

Happy Due Date to Me!

Today is officially due date #1 and I cannot believe how quickly it has come! I've definitely prepared myself mentally for the little guy not coming until around April 20, but reaching this milestone just makes me so excited. It's a bit weird because I still want to go out and meet up with people and do things, but at the same time I'm also kind of afraid to make concrete plans too far in advance since I know that Little Z really could come any day now. I think if he's still not here by the weekend, I'm gonna say screw it and start making plans - I will drive myself (and Eric) crazy if I'm not busy doing something. Sooo, who wants to do dinner or lunch next week???

In other news, today is my last day in the office. I'm still going to keep working, but I'm planning on working from home exclusively starting tomorrow. I have a huge meeting scheduled for this afternoon that I cannot miss, so I decided to make the trek in. Plus, I'm feeling great and am really enjoying the bit of socializing I get to do while in the office. It is funny though to see some of the reactions of people when they see me walking around.  I think I'm starting to make people nervous since it is my due date:P

Speaking of due dates, I wanted to send out a big hug and lots of congrats to our friends Jake and Amanda! They had their baby boy, Bruno on Monday and he is the cutest thing ever! Jake and Eric have been friends forever and we could not be happier for them. We're really looking forward to our trip up to St. Mary's this summer so we can see little Bruno and all the other little babies that our friends have had/will have by then. It's so exciting that we're all having kids around the same time and really cool that our kids will have friends to hang out with when we go up there:)

And now, back to the waiting game.....

Weekend Fun

Thinking that this might be the last weekend we are sans baby, Eric and I decided we would try to make the most of it! I started out on Friday night with a mini-baking frenzy. I made red velvet cake and cupcakes with cream cheese frosting to celebrate Julie's birthday, then decided to try and make a key lime pie for Eric. It is one of his favorite pies and he loves when I make him special desserts (plus he definitely deserves something special for being so amazing!).  Quite a successful start to the weekend:)

On Saturday we had our coveted Cherry Blossom Date day! We got into the city a little later than we planned, but we got really lucky in terms of the weather and the crowds. It was nice and cool - perfect for walking around, and it was not nearly as crowded as we thought it would be (probably because the forecast called for rain). We were totally planning on having Starbucks for breakfast once we got there, but the Starbucks by L'Enfant plaza metro was closed! Nonetheless we wandered around for a couple of hours strolling through the beautiful blossoms and just enjoying each other's company. It was absolutely perfect! Once we got home, we relaxed for a few hours and I took a nice little nap before we headed over to Julie's place to celebrate her birthday. It was so fun to see her and spend some quality time with friends.

Sunday, we just lazed around for the first half of the day, then got to work on some random chores. Eric was super handy and fixed my headlight that burned out then got the bathroom super sparkly and clean:) In the meantime, I did a final cut at organzing/packing all the baby stuff. I managed to consolidate a couple more boxes and get our diaper cady set up along with our first aid kit and found a nice home for all of the diapers we have! And, I actually made dinner for a change! I love cooking, but I almost never do it anymore since Eric loves cooking and is always home before me:P We also got to enjoy some yummy key lime pie with fresh homemade whipped cream...sooo yummy.

Eric and I were both so restless when we went to bed last night. We read to Little Z, but after, we just couldn't sleep. I think we're both anxious and excited to meet the baby, but it's just so strange not knowing exactly when that will be. I think the whole not knowing is especially hard since we're both such planners...I know it's just the start of all the things we'll no longer be able to "plan," but it definitely takes some getting used to! I guess the other aspect is that there is really not much left for us to do except keep reading our newborn books. At this point, I know that Eric is just so excited to be able to hold and feel the baby - it will finally give him a chance to be able to interact with the baby on a daily basis in a very real way. I definitely forget that this experience is so different for him than it is for me - he's been so supportive and involved and excited, that it's easy to forget that he can't feel the little hiccups or rolls or kicks or pressure constantly like I can. I'm definitely excited to hold and play with our baby, but I'm even more excited to get to watch Eric hold and play with our baby. I feel like I got a head start on the bonding with Little Z and I can't wait for Eric to finally get to experience for himself the same joy and emotions I've felt for the past 9 months.