Belly Cast!

Yesterday (Saturday) we went to a partners prenatal yoga & massage workshop. It was 3 hours long and it was great. I felt so happy and relaxed afterwards. Bob did a good job massaging me into bliss. We learned some acupressure points that are good for encouraging the start of labor. We've been holding those points with good intentions.

Some people have been asking me lately if I have "dropped" yet. I usually say that I don't know. I was told it happens gradually for most women. Yesterday Bob told me that my belly does look lower, and I've noticed that I am able to eat more comfortably lately. So it does seem that the baby is working her way down the path. We are feeling ready for the baby to join us this week. She will be a taurus.

Today we had some arts 'n' crafts fun and Bob made a plaster cast of my belly on our due date! Happy 4/20!

No news

There's a beautiful Juniper tree at the corner of Valencia & 23rd streets. I took this picture of it yesterday after my prenatal yoga class. Bob and I had a visit with the midwife yesterday. It was calm and uneventful. At this point, no news is good news.

Diapers Delivered

Today we received our first bag of cloth diapers from Tiny Tots. It came with the diaper hamper and the diaper covers that we ordered. Here's our bag of 80 infant sized diapers.

And we found a place for the diaper hamper to fit in the bathroom.

I've been noticing Juniper trees a lot more lately. It makes me feel happy whenever I notice another Juniper tree or bush. Here's one that Bob and I passed on our walk this evening.


If you aren't familiar with what Juniper looks like, here's a picture where you can see the blue Juniper berries. (Click the picture to see it bigger.)

This is a staircase that Bob and I have been climbing regularly lately. I climbed it twice today. There are about 225 steps, and I take them 2 at a time. I heard that it can help bring on labor to go on walks and climb stairs. It is also helping me to be fit. About 3/4 of the way up, I usually feel pretty tired and I start asking Bob for the epidural.

Today's hospital visit

I called the hospital this morning in attempt to cancel my NST/AFI appointment today, but the nurse talked me into keeping it. She recommended that I come in today at least and then talk to the doctor about not coming in anymore for the tests. She offered to change the time of the appointment and so we did. That way I was able to go to the yoga class this morning and then go to the hospital in the afternoon.
So today my amniotic fluid level was 10.5. The baby showed good activity but it took a bit longer than it did on Friday. I talked to the midwife who had consulted with the doctor about me, and she said that they aren't worried about my fluid level at this point. 10.5 is good, and I've proven that the fluid level isn't a problem, it was low last week because I'd been sick. They are however concerned that the baby is on the smaller side of average and that's why they want to monitor me. They determined the baby's size by an inconclusive sonogram they did last Friday. They weren't able to get a measurement of the baby's head because she has her head too far down in my pelvis. So their guess is based on the abdominal circumference and the femur length, and that says the baby is in the 16th percentile for size. If she were below 10th percentile, they would recommend immediate induction or c-section. So for now they just want to make sure the baby is still thriving and they recommend I go in weekly for the testing until the baby comes. I agreed to that. Once a week is much better than twice a week! So the next hospital visit I'll make will be next Tuesday 4/22, provided no surprises happen before then. I feel much better about the current arrangement. If the baby really is smaller than average, it could be because of genetics. Both of my parents and Bob's parents are all on the shorter side. Anyway, I will do my best to hydrate and eat well in these last weeks to support the baby's growth. I'll also continue to work on staying calm and positive, so that the baby can thrive on my love vibe.

Monday 4/14/08

I saw my chiropractor today and told her about last week. She suggested that I don't go for any more NST/AFI* testing now that everything is fine. I did have that thought myself at one point, like since the AFI was up to 15 on Friday, doesn't that prove that it was only low because of the dehydration and now that I'm better do I still need to go twice weekly and expose my baby to the ultrasound waves and risk exposing myself to the medical-fear world. So, I plan to call tomorrow morning and cancel my hospital visit. The time conflicts with a yoga class I'd like to go to, anyway. A prenatal yoga class taught by my doula will serve me better. I'm committed to decreasing unnecessary stressful situations and increasing calming ones.

Eating has been slow going in that I can eat only small amounts at a time. My stomach is being squeezed smaller by our baby's bottom which is tucked under my ribs on my left side. The nervousness which I've had related to last week's events also contributes to my difficulty with eating. So I am drinking a lot of fluids and eating a lot of small snacks throughout the day and even during the night, if I wake up hungry. I still feel hydrated and generally healthy, but I hope to be able to feel more relaxed soon.

* NST = Non Stress Test which is when they put an external fetal monitor on the mom's belly and record the baby's heart beat for at least 20 minutes to determine the baby's activity level
AFI = Amniotic Fluid Index which is when they use an ultrasound/sonogram to measure the size of amniotic fluid pockets in each of the four abdominal quadrants

Warm weather

Saturday was hot! It was warm weather like an East Coast Spring day. Bob, Lori and I went for a walk on Ocean Beach. This is a photo of my belly bump shadow on the sand. Bob's shadow is in the picture, too, and if you can't tell he gets the photo credit for this one. I wasn't able to walk very far before I got pretty tired and wanted to turn back. We spent some time sitting on a log on the beach and watching the waves. I learned for the first time that those Ice Plants bloom flowers. I've admired these succulent plants for years and I never knew they blossom!


We spent Sunday indoors today. I worked on doing chores around the house. I'm feeling healthy, I'm staying hydrated and noticing the baby's movements a lot more. She is getting bigger, and so I'm feeling big. Her bottom is tucked under my ribs which is uncomfortable unless I sit up very tall or lay on my side. I'm becoming more aware that there is a real baby snuggled up inside there. Could be any day now that we get to meet her.

All is well

Good news! I went in for the monitoring today and I am normal. Everything's fine. The baby was active (such a good girl!) and my fluid level was back up to what it should be. Yay! It was a quick visit to L & D today, and I was such a happy woman after hearing the results. My friend Christina went with me for support, and it was great to have her there because I was nervous about the visit. Christina said that I didn't seem nervous, and that's probably because I was taking a lot of deep breaths and thinking positive thoughts. Also, I listened to one of the Hypnobirthing guided meditations this morning and that helped relax me and it got me into a positive and calm state of mind.

After the hospital visit I went to my friend Susie's house for an acupressure treatment. She is helping me to recover from the dehydrated spell, and to get my body in balance and ready for birthing in the coming weeks. Now I'm back at home and ready for resting. Resting, drinking good fluids and eating small, healthy meals. That's the plan.

Thanks for all the warm wishes and support! I feel so lucky to have the friends and family that we have in our lives.