Stubborn

Well, we're home! Baby is still inside, and still in breech position! :/ Adam says she's stubborn like her mother, I say she's stubborn like her father. At least she comes by it naturally I suppose.

We arrived at labor and delivery and got checked in. They hooked up the monitors; one to monitor baby's heartrate and one to monitor for contractions. It was fun to be able to hear the baby's heart (and hiccups and kicks) continuously like that. We were all surprised to see that I was having fairly regular contractions because I wasn't feeling a thing.  Next they used the ultrasound to double check that Little Miss Tolman was still breech (and she was) and to check for the location of the placenta as well as to check the fluid level. (More fluid would make it easier to manipulate her.) After that came the subcutaneous injection of terbutaline (a beta 2 agonist for you pharmacy gals) to keep the uterus from contracting. They warned me that I would have a racing heart and it may be a little uncomfortable, but fortunately for me I didn't notice it too much.

Then came the fun part! They laid the bed all the way down so I was flat on my back and lathered my belly with mineral oil. Then, using no special instruments or anything, the doctor began pushing and prodding on my stomach in an effort to physically flip her. All the while the nurse was monitoring the baby's heartrate and using the ultrasound to show the doctor if she was making any progress. First she tried to get her to do a front flip, then a back flip, then tried for the front flip one more time. At one point she did have her head moved from a straight up position to more of a side position, but that little butt just wouldn't budge and her head quickly went right back to where it started. After 10 minutes or so, the doctor decided that was enough. The baby tolerated everything just fine - she had no change in heartrate or anything like that.

Once it was realized that there was just no budging her, they hooked me back up to both monitors and kept an eye on things for about an hour. Baby's heartrate remained steady and my contractions came back pretty regularly, but I still didn't feel them, so they determined we could go home. The doctor thinks that part of the reason I'm not feeling the contractions is because there's no head down there pushing on the cervix to get it to open. I'm dilated to a little more than 1, but would probably be more so if she were positioned correctly. Apparently a person can contract like this for quite some time without labor being imminent.

So the plan for now is just to wait and see what happens. There's still a chance she could flip on her own. If she hasn't done so by between 39 and 40 weeks, we'll schedule a c-section. If labor starts before then and she's still breech, we'll do an emergency c-section. Until then, we wait. :) We'll let you know when something happens.

Monitoring

Baby's heartbeat on top, contractions on bottom

The Latest

36 weeks, 5 days! Wowee! Never thought we'd be this far along in pregnancy! But, here we are! Anyway, we had another doctor's appointment today. Total weight gain: 24 lbs. Blood pressure: 120/60 mmHg. Baby's heartbeat: good. Baby's growth: good. Baby's position: still breech.

I think most people know this already but in case you don't, babies who are in breech (head up, butt down) position are not delivered vaginally in this day in age. So, the current situation with Little Miss Tolman required some discussion and decision making. The options are to wait it out and see if she turns, or try to turn her manually. Because if she's still in breech position at the time of delivery, it will have to be a cesarean birth. Since c-sections aren't the first line choice for delivery, the doctor recommends trying to assist the baby in assuming the correct position so that a vaginal birth is possible.

Apparently the time frame for turning her manually is running short because Dr. McQuillan said if we chose option number two (called a version) we would need to do it either today or tomorrow. My guess is that the baby's size hinders the ability to do so after a certain point. We decided to go ahead and go along with the version and we're scheduled for tomorrow morning. It takes place in labor and delivery at the hospital and Dr. McQuillan will be the one to perform the procedure. Apparently they give a shot of terbutaline to relax the uterus then manipulate my belly to move the baby around. She said it usually takes about 10 minutes and people describe it as having an elephant sitting on their stomach. There's a chance the baby won't turn, or that the baby might not tolerate it and an emergency c-section would be performed at that time. (She said she's never seen that happen. Of course, she's only been in practice since June 2009!) So, tomorrow should be interesting. I'm sure I'll have the full report for you here sometime tomorrow or Friday.

Recent Happenings

Yesterday we had another doctor's appointment and another baby class. My mom also had an appointment in Boise yesterday so she met up with us for the doctor's appointment! I'm glad she did! It was fun for her to meet the doctor and all of that. My weight and blood pressure were both down from last appointment; total weight gain 23 lbs, bp 130/64 mmHg. Baby's heartbeat sounded great with a rate of 140 bpm (which is normal). She also grew the expected one week amount, although she's still measuring about a week behind. I asked the doctor if we could discuss her size a little more. My concern was that maybe the original due date was a week or two off and maybe her smaller size could also correlate with slower development. The doctor assured me this is not the case. Apparently the 8 week ultrasound that they do to estimate the due date is extremely accurate, like within 4 days. (Remember at ours the estimated due date was August 24th.)

Just to be sure though, we got to do an ultrasound! Yay! (This is also a reason I was glad Mom got to come along.) Everything checked out great on the ultrasound. She appears to be growing fairly proportionately and the doctor was pleased with what she saw. They estimated her current weight to be 5lbs 14oz. The only surprising thing they found at the ultrasound is that she's sitting in there upright (breech)! This little gal has just 4 weeks to flip over and get in the right position, otherwise she'll have to be delivered via C-section. After all these birthing classes we've been attending, I've been mentally preparing for a vaginal birth but hadn't really even considered the prospect of a C-section. So, that gives me one more thing to chew on for awhile. This whole Type A, 'must plan everything' personality type doesn't get along too well with childbirth. Unfortunately for me, it's Little Miss Tolman (not me) who will be deciding how and when she arrives. I suppose this is a good introduction to the rest of my life. :D

After our appointment, we attended a class called Baby Care Basics. They taught us how to bathe, swaddle, and change the baby. We learned a lot of do's and dont's and other basics about caring for a baby. It was informative but also intimidating. I'm hoping some of this stuff will come as instinct.

Well, I think that's about it for now. Next week we get to do another check on Baby Girl to see how she's positioned. I'll let you know what we find out. 

Dr.'s Appointment and Childbirth Classes

We had another Dr.'s appointment yesterday and we'll be going weekly now until Little Miss Tolman arrives! I can't believe we're already to this stage! Anyway, like usual, everything checked out fine. My blood pressure is still creeping up; 138/70 mmHg. Dr. says she's still not concerned. It's common at this stage of the pregnancy and the heat contributes a little. She was glad to see the diastolic staying down. My total weight gain is about 24 lbs. We're still measuring small but baby continues to grow enough and her heartbeat sounded good.  I was also tested for Group B Strep this week and had my cervix checked for the first time. I was surprised to learn that it's starting to thin and is about a fingertip dilated. Adam was particularly concerned about my occassionally swollen ankles but Dr. McQuillan explained that it's normal, especially in the summertime, and has no real medical implications, just discomfort.

We attended two childbirth classes this week; Childbirth Preparation was an all day class on Saturday and Natural Childbirth was an evening class yesterday. We learned A LOT about what to expect and different strategies for labor and delivery. While the idea of giving birth is still very daunting, we're starting to feel more prepared. They put a lot of emphasis on having a support person and Ad seems ready to do all he can to help me get through it. Prior to the classes I was sure I'd have an epidural. And while I'm still not eliminating the possibility all together, we've decided to try all our other options before resorting to that. It should be interesting. I'm not exactly known for my high pain tolerance. :D

I'm trying to think if there are any other updates to give you...The nursery is coming along although it's still not quite complete. We're going to have to get busy since this baby's due in just over 5 weeks! As soon as it's finished I'll post pictures of it.

Well, I think that's it for now. Happy Thursday to ya!

34 weeks already!

The belly at 33 weeks, 6 days

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies. 
- http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-34-weeks_1123.bc


Only 6 weeks to go!

Baby Shower!

Here it is...the long awaited baby shower post! I've mentioned before that the baby shower thrown for me and Little Miss Tolman was AMAZING! In fact, it couldn't have been more perfect! I could go on and on about it, but instead I think I'll let the pictures do most of the talking:

The decorations were darling:

The food was amazing:

Guests had the chance to offer the Mom-to-Be advice or share a story about motherhood:

We played a game:

And the winners got to take home a handmade coffee cuff compliments of Mary Chamberlain:

Grandma Carol read a story called "Polly's Pink Pajamas":

Little Miss Tolman got to keep the book!

And the guest whose gift containing pink pajamas was opened first got to take home this dainty little plant from Grandma Carol:

Stephanie Knapp won!

There were lots of friendly faces in attendance:

And there were gifts galore!

Handmade hat and quilt from Melinda Christensen

Wooden sushi set from Grandpa Roger

Cowgirl clothes from The Johnson Girls

Handmade quilt from Sharon Williams

Mom essentials from Mary Chamberlain

Adorable poem and handmade quilt from Lori Chamberlain

Handmade doll bed from Duke and Ethel Petersen

Beaver gear from Grandma Carol and Grandpa Roger

Japanese doll from Grandma Carol, handmade by Auntie Janet Koda

Adorable polka dot dress from Lisa Standage

Dino Rocker from Grandma Carol and Grandpa Roger!

Approved by Jackson as suitable for Little Miss Tolman

This is just a small glimpse of the wonderful gifts our little girl received. Thank you all so much for attending the shower and for your generous gifts! Little Miss Tolman is one lucky girl. :D

Photos courtesy of Lisa Standage