Just a thought...

I've been thinking lately, how I can't believe how fast this year and this pregnancy has been flying by.  Thinking about it, we have 3 weeks until our baby shower (November 1), two weeks after that Elliott and I are moving (November 15), less than 2 weeks from then is Thanksgiving (November 27),  2 1/2 weeks after that is my due date (December 14), and almost 2 weeks after that is Christmas!   So all-in-all, we have 9 1/2 weeks until I'm due... i.e. 66 days and counting, and 12 weeks until the new year... in other words,  84 days until January 1st, 2009!  Crazy! Oh, how the year has gone by...

One Step Closer

     So, yesterday Elliott and I had our childbirth class.  We had signed up for it back when I was only maybe 12 weeks pregnant because my nurse said to sign up early because the classes tend to fill up fast.  Well, we had the choice of participating in a 2 night a week class that lasted for 3 weeks or a full Saturday class from 9 am to 4 pm.  We decided it would be easier to attend a Saturday class then maneuver our schedules around and go for 2 nights a week for 3 weeks. Our class was just a basic childbirth class provided by St John Hospital in Detroit, which is where I will be delivering at.  I have to say the thing I was most excited about was the tour of the hospital and the thing I was least looking forward to was any type of video we were going to have to watch.  

     The class was very informative.  Obviously, Elliott and I have read up on everything that pertains to pregnancy and childbirth, so there were things that we all ready knew, but it was still nice to get a review of everything.  Plus, since there were other couples in the class, it was nice because they sometimes would ask questions that you wouldn't necessarily think of asking. The class also went over hospital policies, which are different at every hospital, so that was good to know.  They went over breathing techniques, pain relief options, signs of labor, the stages of labor, and recovery.  And of course, they also showed some videos. 

     They showed a video of a vaginal birth and a video of a c-section.  The vaginal birth was not a big deal for me, I could watch it and I was fine.  The c-section, on the other hand, was not so nice to watch.  I had to close my eyes for seconds at a time so I wouldn't have to endure watching the whole thing...lol.   My philosophy is that I'm all ready going to be going through childbirth and knowing what is happening down there, I don't need to see it happen on someone else.  And I know Elliott whole-heartily agrees with me, since he was watching it with one eye open and one eye closed and a hand that would periodically cover the open eye...lol.  I have to say, after watching those videos, I thought to myself..."Do I really have to give birth, can't Ethan just one day miraculously show up in his crib and that be it?"  Obviously, thinking back on it, of course I'm scared of childbirth because I've never experienced it before, but I know in the long run I will be grateful I went through it because it will be such a profound moment in our lives and a bonding experience for Elliott, Ethan, and me.  

     The last part of our class was the tour of St John's birthing unit.  They have 31 birthing rooms, which are all private and very spacious.  That's were I'll be during all the laboring and the actual delivery (other than a c-section....they have operating rooms for that).  Then they have 17 postpartum rooms, which are also private but a little smaller.  And that's were I'll be after Ethan's born for our recovery in the hospital.  We got to see where we sign in, a birthing room, a postpartum room, we walked by the nursery, and saw where the NICU was and I think that was it.  

     All-in-all, I'm really glad we signed up for the class.  It gave us a look at everything, even if we'd heard it before,... it was a nice refresher.  Plus, there was alot of things that we hadn't known about before, so it was nice to hear about those things. My favorite part of the class was obviously the tour of the hospital, since I was so looking forward to it.  It let us know where we would be going and it actually made everything more real.  Another favorite was actually the breathing techniques.  It showed you how to focus in on something else other than the contractions, which is supposedly a big thing in order to get through the pain.  Plus, Elliott was such a good encourager... I know he'll be great when the time actually comes!  Elliott even enjoyed the class and even suggested that we could go to the 2 hour breast feeding class together.

The Longest Week of My Life...So Far...

     So, this last week has been a little stressful for me to say the least.  I have to say that normally I don't get worked up over things.  I usually just let things roll off my back, especially things that I can't necessarily control and I'm not a big worrier (that's what I have Elliott for).  

Well, the last 3 or 4 doctor appointments that I've had, my blood pressure has been on the high side and on a normal basis, I actually have low blood pressure.  So for my BP to be up was kind of odd.  Well, last Wednesday, I had my normal monthly appointment and my blood pressure was on the high side again.  So my doctor gave me a script to get my 1 hour glucose test done, which is routine, and told me he wanted to see me again on Monday to recheck my blood pressure.  Well, as most pregnant women know, when you're pregnant, you read about EVERYTHING...and that's exactly what I did.  So, I read up on gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia, which usually is associated with high blood pressure, just so I could be well informed.  

     Well, the weekend came and went and soon it was 5 pm on Monday and I was sitting in the doctor's office waiting to see the doctor.  Well, I had my blood pressure taken again, and of course, you guessed it, it was high again!  I was thinking, "Man! I just can't catch a break here!"  So, my doc asked if I took my 1 hour glucose test and I told him that I took it that past Thursday morning.  Well, he gave me another script for another test....one that I will be happy to never take again as long as I live.....a 24 hour urine test.  Basically, for the next 24 hours he wanted me to pee into a jug and then bring it to the lab to have it tested.  Oh, and the best part, I had to keep the jug refrigerated until I turned it in.  So, he gave me the script and told me he wanted to see me back on Wednesday (today) to go over all the results. So, I went down to the lab and picked up my jug and went home and started my "test." Now, normally I would be working on a Tuesday, but there was no way on God's green earth that I was going to work peeing in a jug and storing it in a cooler in my office. It was just not happening.  So, I took the morning and afternoon off and did my thing, returned my jug to the lab at 6 pm, and went to work for 2 1/2 hours. 

     Well, now we come to today and I had another doctor's appointment at 4:45 pm to go over all my results. Well, by now, I'm thinking, there's gotta be something wrong with me.  If I don't have pre-eclampsia then I'm sure I at least have gestational diabetes.  Elliott met me at the doctor's office and they do all the routine stuff and take my blood pressure and guess what... it was normal! (I swear it has something to do with Elliott being there....he makes me calm :o)) So, the doctor comes in and I'm waiting to hear the bad news, and he tells us that the 24 hour urine test came back normal, as did my blood tests and my glucose test!  So, I'm perfectly healthy, I don't have pre-eclampsia or gestational diabetes, and I chalk up my high BP to nerves!     

      So, the moral of this story.....don't let your nerves get the best of you... or you may be thinking you have something wrong with you when you actually don't!