My appointment went pretty well last week. Blood pressure is still 110/66 and no weight gain!
I am NOT anemic. They aren’t sure why I had two false reading screenings on the finger prick with levels of 8.5, but my blood work came back totally normal. So, boo for wasting $50 on the damn iron supplements they insisted I start immediately after my appointment, and YAY for not being anemic.
Baby girl looks amazing. I still can’t wrap my head around loving someone I’ve never met so much. They said she had lots of hair, full lips and is measuring a bit big… They said she’s currently about 7lbs7oz – give or take a pound. The bigger concern is that her head is on the smaller side and her belly is on the bigger side, so they worry about her shoulders getting stuck. (Guess what my dumbass did when I got home? Googled about shoulders getting stuck and how it can cause cerebral palsy.) Anyhow, my midwife said they won’t be actually concerned unless I go the full 40 weeks, and at that point, I’ll have another ultrasound to see her growth and determine what the next steps should be.
I’m trying to mentally prepare for a c-section IF it were to come down to that. I don’t want it to destroy me if they determine that it’s in the best interest of her. Additionally, I honestly think I’m leaning more toward a C than being induced simply because I really don’t want her getting all the induction drugs, specifically pitocin. The studies on pitocin are terrible. I’ll heal from a C. I also have a great support system to help me through it – my mom is even staying with us for a few days. Again, I’m not planning for a C, but mentally trying to accept it if it comes down to that.
Anyhow, the best news is that they don’t think I’ll go the full 40 weeks simply because I’ve been having some irregular intense (non Braxton Hicks) contractions over the last 10 days. So, fingers crossed those pick up and get to moving. In light of this, you can find me doing all things proactive to get this baby moving.
Things I’m doing include – bouncing vigorously on my birthing ball, walking up hills/walking (3+ miles a day), eating copious amounts of pineapple/eggplant, drinking all of the Raspberry Leaf Tea ever, having the sex, voodoo, witchcraft, and rain dances.
I honestly never thought I’d reach the “GTFO” stage given our history, but alas, I have. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m actually over being pregnant, ridiculously excited to meet her, or simply because I’m still not functioning at 100%. They think my strep may have evolved into bronchitis which means I can’t do shit about it. I haven’t been sick in nearly 3 years (which I attribute to a healthy lifestyle). This has certainly been the perfect reminder to resume said healthy lifestyle after said baby is born.
Lastly, the hemorrhoid struggle is real. So fucking real. Stop reading if you don’t want to hear the real talk about hemorrhoids because I’m going to give you some real talk advice. If you are struggling with hemorrhoids, honey is your new best friend. After my mom and I spent about 6 hours walking at a Craft Fair the other weekend I got my first hemorrhoid. I found myself practically in tears: unable to get comfortable, couldn’t sit, couldn’t walk, etc. So, Kevin went to Kroger and got me some Prep H. It did nothing. NOTHING. So, then I really lost it; sobbing about my asshole and how if I couldn’t handle this hemorrhoid how could I handle an unmedicated childbirth? Out of nowhere I vaguely remembered something about honey from our Bradley Method Class. I couldn’t remember if it was for after labor, hemorrhoids or what, but I was in a dark place so figured it was worth a shot. I waddled to the kitchen and grabbed the honey and proceeded to take it to the bathroom. Within 5 minutes of slathering my broken asshole with honey I instantly felt some relief from the pain. EVERY SINGLE TIME I went the bathroom (so basically every 20-30 minutes because all I do is pee) I applied more honey. It’s really not all that messy or sticky. I only applied enough to cover the actual hemorrhoid – so like 1/2 a teaspoon. Within 48’ish hours the hemorrhoid was totally gone. I mean 100% gone. Pain free. AMAZING. No more hemorrhoids since then. I will be bathing in honey post labor.
Damn girl, that's a lot of fattitude 
C-sections aren’t that bad if you follow the instructions 🙂 Do get up and walk as soon as you are able and keep moving. Do not lay in bed for more than an hour (except when you’re sleeping). Take your meds. You might not feel that sore, but it’s coming! LOL If your ankles and legs start to swell from walking, ice packs and elevation help. And, if you do end up having a c-section here’s a tip – When you’re done showering and drying off, hit the incision with a low blast from your blow dryer. If you’re like normal pregnant women, you’ll probably have a pooch and the pooch will cause the incision and tape not to dry properly, but hitting it with a blast from your blow dryer will help significantly!!
Ohhh! Thank you for all of this! I have a pooch without pregnancy. LOL
NP 🙂 And I do too! LOL That little pooch sits right above the incision they’ll make and you can wash the incision, but if you don’t get it dry, a stench will start to manifest and you’ll likely get an infection. I had the blow drying idea the first day out of the hospital when I thought I had dried my incision, but it was still wet an hour later!