Pictures of Lady!

We're having a little trouble.... I got a couple pictures of Lady at the hospital, but then we ran out of memory on our card. So now before I can take any more, I need to upload the pictures from the card to the computer and then the computer to our backup website so I can delete them off the card and still have them backed up. That could take a while, so I haven't quite gotten around to it yet. Therefore, we don't have very many pictures of Lady.

But here are the two I do have..... one taken by my mom, and one taken by Nic's best friend.

1 day old





5 days old (just in the last hour)

Announcing Lady's Arrival!

Lady (whose name will be withheld from this blog to protect privacy) was born on Thursday, October 22, at 2:56 am, weighing 7 lbs 0 oz (just like her sister!), at 19 1/2 inches long!

And guess what? She was born via completely natural VBAC!

As you can probably guess, my hands are a little full at the moment, and I hope to post my birth story in the near future (it's a great one.... God totally had His hand on the entire thing!).

Nursing is going EXTREMELY well (almost too well!), and Princess is doing very well with her new baby sister!

Thank you all for your prayers!

Pregnancy Update: 41 weeks

I'm officially a week overdue, and I'm feeling a little discouraged.

The hospital wants me to deliver by 42 weeks. That gives me one more week to get this kid out. My dream is to do it completely on my own. No pitocin (or any other induction/augmentation drugs), no artificial rupture of membranes (no doctors breaking my water), no C-section, etc. But if I don't deliver in the next 5 days (my next appointment is on Friday), my midwife and I will talk about induction. I don't know what their preferred method of induction is... I hadn't discussed it with her before because I hadn't planned on being induced. And I still didn't at my appointment on Friday. Pitocin is an awful drug, and I do not want it. There are a million and a half reasons why. But I need to get this kid out. I want to wait until she's ready, but the hospital has me on a timeline... she has GOT to be ready by 42 weeks. If not, then I feel like my body will have failed me.

The way my husband feels is that he wants me to have this baby the same way Mary gave birth to Jesus. No inductions, no pain meds, no C-section.... just her and her husband by themselves with no assistance. I could not agree more.

Please pray with me and for me. I want to know that my body is not broken, and that I can give birth the way God intended me to, but if I don't have her in the next 5-7 days, I'm afraid that won't happen. So please join me in prayer this week as we prepare for Lady to come, one way or the other, and please pray peace over our family during this transition, and pray that God's will be done. Thanks!

Pregnancy Update: 40 weeks??

Well, today I'm 40 weeks and 5 days.

Wait, what?!

Yeah.

Here's a recap of my appointment.

So I went in for my appointment, and she was talking about how I'm overdue now, and blah blah blah, and I'm going in for a non-stress test on Sunday at 2 to check amniotic fluid levels and make sure the baby's heartrate is ok. I really didn't want that done because I don't want ANYTHING done, but I was like whatever, I'll go with it. They said they'll check me for dilation, and then they'll check again next Friday (my next appointment), and if I'm not dilated and my cervix isn't soft, they can't induce me, I would have to have a C-section. They said they will wait as long as possible, but they really want me to have her by 42 weeks. So she said that they don't have to check me for dilation today, it's my choice, but it will give them an idea as to where I'm at and all that.

So I went ahead with it. I didn't want to be checked, but I figured I REALLY don't want to be induced, so I would rather do this and submit to a battery of tests and stuff than be induced. So she checks me, and I'm 3-4 cm dilated. Sweet! That means that if worst comes to worst, they can strip my membranes and/or break my water, and if absolutely necessary, induce me.

So then I said something about how I'm only a day overdue. So she gave me a funny look and said...... PLOT TWIST......

"No, you're actually 5 days overdue. You were due on the 11th."

OMG! NO WAY! I had no idea!

What happened was when I got pregnant, it was right after my miscarriage. I thought I ovulated on January 28, which put me at October 22 for a due date. So I went in for my first ultrasound, and for being so early, it was really clear and it was clearly a BABY, it didn't look like a blob like it normally does that early. And that ultrasound measured me farther along, and gave me a due date of October 11. The first ultrasound is always the most accurate, so later on, I brought it up with my doctor (who didn't even LOOK at it), and she was like "Ok, that's weird, but I guess we'll wait till your 20 week ultrasound and see what it says." Which is kind of dumb, because the 20 week ultrasound is always about a week off, but whatever. So the 20 week ultrasound put me at October 15. That's what she put on my record.

So at 26 weeks, I switched to my midwife. When I was giving her all this information, I told them about the due date crap, and I thought she would keep it at the 15th like my doctor did, but I learned today that they went by the first ultrasound instead of the 20 week one, since it's most accurate, so they've had me in the system as October 11, and I didn't even know!!

So on Sunday I'll be a week overdue. That blows my mind!!

But it was TOTALLY a God thing, because if I had known I was due on the 11th, we wouldn't have gone to our new town on the 12th (which is 3 hours from the hospital I'm delivering at), which means we wouldn't have picked the apartment we picked, I would've just had to flip a coin and pick one, or go with what Nic thought.... but I hated the one Nic thought I would like. So it was totally a God thing that I didn't know!

So now we wait. Hopefully not for long. I'm fine with being pregnant longer, but Nic is getting a little impatient!

Pregnancy Update: 39 weeks

I have one week until my due date (or "guess date"). Wow! That is so hard to believe! Sorry I don't have a picture for you... I'm not feeling very photogenic these days!

Here is the list of frozen foods I have accomplished (so far!).

• Enchiladas
• Freezer jam 8-oz x 8
• Refried beans 2 cups x 2
• Kidney beans 2 cups x 4
• Chili
• Tortilla soup
• Sharp and medium cheddar cheese, grated
• Clam chowder
• Sweet potato burritos
• Black beans 2 cups x 3
• Zucchini bread x 8
• Banana bread x 3
• Chicken Parmesan
• Broccoli-cheese chicken
• Pizza burgers
• Italian cream cheese chicken over pasta (minus the pasta for now)
• Cream cheese chicken soup
• Banana pancakes
• Taco meat
• Lasagna
• Granola bars
• Tater tot casserole
• Cream of chicken soup (4 "cans")
• Cream of mushroom soup (3 "cans")
• Ham and Potato Pockets (7)
• Taco Soup

Still on the to-do list is freezer biscuits, homemade concord grape juice, and whatever else I can think of! The grape juice is on the to-do list today, and the freezer biscuits are actually being made by my friend for me and will probably be done and frozen by Friday.

Now our prayers are shifting in a new direction. Lady is no longer posterior, which is great news! But now she's a little bit.... diagonal. She's head down, but her head is more over my hip than over my pelvis. I'm hoping the contractions I've been having will squeeze her into place soon, and my midwife is not worried, but I am so passionate about having a VBAC that I am trying my hardest not to panic! I'm really hoping she doesn't turn completely sideways. I just cringe at the thought of ANY barriers in the way of my VBAC! But I'm turning it over to God and trusting that He will take care of it. His will is better than mine! I'm just asking Him for peace!

But just to add a little more stress.... we're moving! My husband got a job an hour and a half north of where we are now, and he starts on November 9! We have been praying over this for a year and a half now. I have lived in this town my whole life, and all my friends and family are here, so this is a huge change for us! But God has called us up north, and we are very excited to see what He has in store for us! The stressful part is that we have to be out of our apartment at the end of October. Yikes!! Packing and moving with a 2-week-old baby (AND a 2-year-old) just doesn't appeal to me.... but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

So this season of my life is crazy.... and about to get crazier! I'm just praying that God gives me strength to get it all done! And I'm trusting that He will give me my VBAC, because I can't pack and move and care for a newborn AND recover from major abdominal surgery! He has opened these doors for us, and He will make it possible for us to walk through them!

That's all my update for now. Still hoping to post my birth plan soon! And I told Lady she couldn't come until at LEAST Saturday night, because I have things to do! :)

Pregnancy Update: 37 weeks

Ok, once again, it's more like 37 weeks and.... almost 2 days.

I'm officially considered full term! But honestly, I don't expect to deliver for another 2-3 weeks, at least.

Everything is going well. I'm still hoping to get my birth plan posted ASAP, but I'm so busy getting ready for Lady that I'm having trouble finding time! Currently on my to-do list is install the carseat, wash the double stroller, get the bassinet from my mom's and put it in our spare bedroom (for now), and a few other things. Like pack my hospital bag. Oops. :)

My friend is coming over on Tuesday, and we're going to cook a couple freezer meals. Lasagna, tater tot casserole, condensed cream of chicken and mushroom soups, granola bars, shepherd's pie, freezer biscuits, and homemade hot pockets are on the list. I'm excited to get more food in my freezer, and I'm pretty confident that we'll be eating fairly decently after Lady is born.

The bad news is that Lady is currently posterior (sunny side up). It's not a huge deal, but if she doesn't turn, it can make for a really rough birth. My midwife referred me to this site and told me that basically from this point on, I need to sit with my stomach below my spine. While watching TV, I need to lean forward with my elbows on the coffee table.... that sort of thing. So reclining in a chair is a no-no for now. It's really uncomfortable, and I'm not gonna lie, it's going to kill my back! I don't plan on sitting very much at all, since sitting like that hurts so much. I'm mainly going to be standing while I sway and rock my hips (which also helps turn the baby), and I'm going to be walking around a lot because sitting is so uncomfortable anyway, especially sitting like that. So let's just pray that Lady turns for me! :)

I'm reeeeeally learning to trust God with this entire thing. I'm fully trusting that He has the entire thing under control. He designed my body to give birth, and if the baby happens to be trying to come out in a funny direction, so be it! He has His hand on the whole situation, and He will not let me down.

That's my update for now. Hopefully soon I will post my birth plan, as soon as I get the chance!

Relative Risks of Uterine Rupture

As a VBAC patient, I hear from a lot of people (doctors, friends, family members, concerned grocery store clerks....) that there is a risk of uterine rupture. But I already know this.... I have done extensive research on the risks and benefits of both a VBAC and a repeat cesarean. Unfortunately, doctors tend to over-exaggerate the risk of uterine rupture in a VBAC. Here is an article on the reality of that risk.

Relative Risks of Uterine Rupture

Written by Eileen Sullivan, with assistance from her husband, Patrick.

After checking, it seems I was a bit off on the frequency of deadly lightning strikes... you are more likely to suffer a rupture than to be struck and killed by lightning, by about thirty times. Then again, how many people do you know who HAVE been struck and killed by lightning?

Ruptures are also more common than dying in a plane crash. Henci Goer's review of the literature on VBACs found 46 ruptures in 15,154 labors. This equates to a 0.3% rate... or 1 in 333, if you prefer. Your annual risk of dying in a plane crash is 1 in 4000, according to one source, and 1 in 700,000 according to another. I can't explain the massive discrepancy between the two figures, except to quote Mark Twain about "lies, damn lies, and statistics."

Since you asked, here are some more probability statistics for you:

Your risk of dying in a car accident, over the course of your lifetime, is between 1 in 42 and 1 in 75. This is roughly 4 to 5 times greater than the risk of uterine rupture.

You're about twice as likely to have your car stolen (that's an annual risk) than to experience a uterine rupture.

Your odds of being murdered are 1 in 140 over the course of your lifetime. That's 2 times more likely than the risk of rupture.

The annual risk of having a heart attack is 1 in 160, 2 times more likely than rupture. Your risk of dying from heart disease is roughly 1 in 6, or 55 times greater than your risk of rupture.

If you're a smoker, your risk of dying from lung cancer is 1 and a half times more likely than a VBAC mom rupturing during her labor.

You're about 17 times more likely to contract an STD this year than you are to have a uterine rupture; more likely to contract gonorrhea than to rupture, as well.

You're 13 times more likely to get food poisoning than to rupture.

You're more likely to have twins than a uterine rupture. Odds of twins: 1 in 90. That's about 3 1/2 times the likelihood of rupture.

If you ride horseback, you're 3 times more likely to die in a riding accident than you are to experience a uterine rupture.

If you ride a bike on the street, you are 4 times more likely to die in an accident (annual risk) than you are to suffer a rupture.

Having a serious fire in your home during the next year is twice as likely as experiencing a rupture.

You're ten times as likely to win at roulette as you are to have a uterine rupture.

If you flip a coin, you'll be more likely to get heads (or tails) 8 times in a row than to rupture.

The risk of cord prolapse is 1 in 37 (2.7%), or nearly ten times more likely than that of rupture.

And a final irony (heads up, those of you who want a doc to give his/her opinion on your likelihood of rupture next pregnancy!)...

You're 6 times more likely to have a doctor who is an impostor than you are to suffer a rupture. Two percent of docs are phonies (1 in 50), according to several sources I found.

So instead of worrying about rupture, why not take a few minutes to check up on your doctor's credentials? ;) It'd be a more profitable use of your time, and a substantially more likely cause for alarm.