waiting for D-Day

 Baby News:

40 weeks (minus two days)-in this photo

Baby had another fetal assessment this week, and everything looked good! Instead of 60% for size, he was more like 40% at this assessment... this is what I meant by they just simply aren't accurate about size in these things! I think it's safe to say he'll be roughly average sized though, which is nice to know going into the future! Not to big, not too small! This little boy has been very active lately. This is both good and bad. It's very re-assuring to me, which has been very nice, since I have been a bit more anxious about miscarriage this pregnancy than the last, but it also means his head isn't really engaged (pushing on the cirvix) which would help me go into labor more naturally.

My blood pressure was quite elevated at my appointment following the fetal assessment, so I was put on regular blood pressure meds. (side note: the med they put me on last week, wasnt asthmatic safe, so I was instructed to only take it when necessary. This is a different pill all together, and I now need to take it daily). Despite the meds, my pressure still seems to be creeping higher each day, something I remember well from the last pregnancy. I remember that my body really didn't respond at all to the blood pressure medications. I am a strange bird... That's why I went from no meds to the max doses of three different pills (all taken at the same time, not switched out) in three weeks time, then still ended up being induced cause my blood pressure was out of control...the difference is, this time I am 40 WEEKS!! :) so we dont have to try meds, we can just get baby out instead.

Just like last time, I am A-symptomatic (meaning I dont have the usual high blood pressure symptoms of dizziness, seeing stars, headaches, swelling etc..) and baby is doing far better than they could assume or hope (very active, good growth and heart rate).

My OBGYN has us set up for an induction on Saturday (today). This is her day on-call at the hospital, and she is hoping that her role in choosing who on the induction list gets induced, will work in our favor. Basically, every day the doctor on call will make a selection based on whatever factors (i assume, how busy triage seems to be etc..) about who on the long list of hopeful induct-ee's will actually get to come in to be induced.  Given that my situation is based on medical concerns (blood pressure issues), and not just on being past my due date, I am more likely than some to be selected anyway (I would think). So here's hoping things get moving along! It's not a certainty, but I am hopeful.

 Josiah News:

 

This little guy has had quite a busy week! we've spent lots of time outside, and tried to get in some good quality time with him while he is still an only child.

Josiah trying to take a drink from the hose, but mostly just getting wet!

Despite lengthily trips to the park, water fun in grammie's yard across the street, a trip to the zoo and even hanging out with daddy while he works on the house, Josiah's been quite out of sorts... I think he knows something is up, but he doesn't know what or how to deal with it. I didn't clue into this till my doctor's appointment on Wednesday where another (very) pregnant mom had her two-and-a-half year old along, and as i watched them, it was like I was watching Josiah act out... same type of behaviors Josiah has been exhibiting. Pushing the boundaries more than normal, being especially clingy/needy, getting upset much more easily about  anything (and yes, I know he is two...that's why I am saying things like "more than normal." Cause of course he is doing all of these things on a regular basis anyway, as a two year old, but...just doubled lately...).

We make the most of it though, and give extra love when we can, and time outs when needed too... I mostly empathize for  his confused little mind! So when possible, thats why we've been trying to give him extra time.

Thursday morning my mom and I took Josiah to the forks for a pancake lunch, and yesterday Curtis was able to come home a little early from work, and we spent some family time at the park and at home together, which was very nice for Josiah too. Building lots of memories with him while he's an only child!

You know, it really isn't fare to be two when you get a sibling... I mean, Curtis and I get to mentally work through all the emotions of going from one young little love in our lives to two. We get to think about how divide our attentions, and even slightly mourn the loss of only having that one kid to pour all our attention on... he doesn't get that luxury. He just gets blind-sided by this new sibling in his life. The only warning he gets is his funny little "where's the baby" trick where he points to mummy's tummy. Maybe I'm just being over-run with all these extra hormones, but I really do feel and empathize for Josiah. There is a lot of difficult confusion he is about to go through, when he realizes there's a new baby in our family that is here to stay, and that he has to share mummy's time,  energy and affection with it. He hasn't quite picked up on the whole concept of "sharing" yet, even with toys. So it'll be quite a learning curve to start with sharing his parents.

mummy and Josiah at the forks on Thursday (40 weeks)

Curtis News:

our hard working man!

Curtis has been working hard, as usual! He took a couple of days off this week to try and finish up the front porch so we wont be leaving piles of lumber in our front yard. He also managed to get siding up on the two sides of our house with the help of a couple friends and family members!

our life in a nutshell

Naturally, Curtis also had a little helper for much of his part-time labors. Josiah was often plunked outside on his booster seat, or even in his highchair with breakfast or lunch, and he was happy to watch the show. Gramps came up with the idea to put the headphones on him, which made the loud noises far more tolerable for him!

Josiah has spent hours this week hanging out with daddy while he works.

Josiah is fascinated by power tools right now, and the noises they make!

Josiah will pick up something (anything) and start making power tool noises.

All-in-all, it's been an exhausting week for curtis, but I think he feels decently "nested" in his own way as well. There's still plenty that needs to be done, but enough has been checked off and enough open ends tied up for the next little while anyway.

Krysta News:

I have basically just been keeping myself busy. I made some thank you bags for 6 or so nurses/health care aids, depending on who stands out to us. I remember from last time, that we actually came back to the hospital to drop something off, and because we were so exhausted afterwards, it was more expensive to do, since we settled on gift cards. This way the thought is still there in the thank you, without breaking the bank. dis-assembled, it all fits nicely into a small pouch in my hospital bag.

 

I also went to town with my essential oils, and made some blends that I can use to bring on labor, manage pain, help with healing, and even one or two for baby!

  

I also found a neat recipe to make hand sanitizer on pinterest, using aloe vira gel, witchazel, coconut oil, and essential oils.  So i  whipped some of that up, and made little viles for each nurse's thank you baggie as well.

 

Other than these somewhat pointless nesting bits, I have been basically using my energies on Josiah, and on trying to stay rested. My blood pressure has been getting higher, and seems to be ignoring the fact that I am now on medications. This is a bit more anxiety provoking, since this is how my body responded to the meds last time too (ignoring them and getting higher). I am happy to be so close to the end this time, when this has started, but I am still losing sleep over it, and quite anxious about what the next few days will hold.

Prayer Requests:

• For Josiah as he spends several days away from us at grandparents houses, and for the adjustment back home afterward
• for Josiah adjusting to the idea of a new sibling
• That labor and delivery will be successful and boring
• For health for all
• Energy for Curtis through it all, and the stamina as he returns to work post partum
• That my blood pressure will not get dangerously high
• Rest
• That I will be able to stay close to God throughout it all, and surrender things to him, and feel his presence.

Another week down, only one to go!

Baby News:

He is still head down! Yay! I had a fetal assessment today before my OBGYN appointment, and baby is very healthy still, plenty of amniotic fluid around him, and he seems to be in the 7-8 lb range (but how accurate are they...). I like the term 60'th percentile better. Of the fetal assessments they do, this baby is around the 60% mark for size (40% of 39 week ultrasound babies are bigger, 60% smaller). So I celebrated and bought some newborn size diapers, since we won't need preemie ones likely!!  

(Actually, all of today's grocery purchase made both the cashier and the lady infront of me chuckle.  see for yourself!)

Josiah News:

Josiah had a very exciting weekend with grandma and grandpa at the lake! It was a trial-run for when baby comes. I hate to say it but I don't think he missed us at all! (Though he was excited to see us on Sunday).

It was a good practice run for us as well, since we are now aware of what the adjustment home would be like (without a new baby), when he spends several days with his doting loving grandparents! It's nice to know ahead of time that the tantrums won't all be rivalry related, but also just normal adjusting from a fun time with the grand's, different rules, and coming back to less pampering.   Still, I am not looking forward to what will inevitably be his little broken heart at having to share mommy. His love language is physical touch,  which will be easier (than quality time) to fulfill, but also more difficult for him, as he watches how much touching the new baby requires from mommy.

Despite this, (and as a relief) Josiah seems to be getting more independent too. I believe I have heard the phrase "yayah do it" a couple times even... very exciting!  This is the stage where I am constantly reminding myself to NOT step in and help him unless he has asked for help, or agrees to it. Gotta let my boy do his trial and error! Gotta let him stumble and get frustrated and actually figure things out on his own right? Sigh! Easier in theory than real life, but I am making a solid effort!

I am definitely getting more maternal with him, and despite how little I am sure he understands about the baby coming home, he definitely knows something is up. He's been far more cuddly lately than in the past! I think he knows there's a change on the horizon.

He has also been loving all the different construction action at home, and has also become a little flirt with other kids at the Hespeler park! He is figuring out how to interact in different social situations, like when strangers come to our house, or when people acknowledge him at the grocery store etc.. It is fun to watch his little brain tick. 

Curtis News:

Things have been painted! Painters came today and our basement looks almost like a home!

basement bathroom (blue)

basement office (curtis's office)

basement main area

Basement laundry room (yellow)

 Carpet won't be for a few weeks, but a deadline is in sight! 

Curtis spent most of the long weekend working on the outside of our house, installing some pretty wood thingys on the ceiling of our front deck/porch (whatever you want to call it)

And getting some of the white trim up around the windows and posts in the front, so that the dark blue/grey siding we chose can go up next!

Krysta News:

Well I've been upping my raspberry leaf tea intake! That is nasty tasting stuff that's supposed to strengthen the uterus by causing some contractions and hopefully will result in bringing on labor.

I've started making an iced tea that is more potent but more tolerable, plus readily accessible, so I drink more! I boil water and pour it over 6 raspberry leaf tea bags, some Rooibos, another fruity loose leaf tea, and an organic apple thinly  sliced. 

The difference is that I let it steep for hours. 

Probably a good 3 hrs for this batch (covered) and then I ring out the tea bags, stick them in my pitcher, and strain this brew into the pitcher to cool in the fridge. So the bags keep steeping. Then when I make my morning smoothies, I also pull one of the steeped bags out of my iced tea, open it up and blend in the remaining grinds.... Not bad eh? I'll get my money's worth out of them over-priced tea bags!!

Some of the other natural methods of inducing labor such as evening primrose oil, cannot be used with VBAC since they soften all scar tissue, not just the cervix. This can be potentially dangerous in previous c-section related natural births, since it can theoretically weaken the c-section scar.  And actually my Obgyn says that in some cases that this oil has actually slowed labor... Which I don't want at this point!

This is also the reason I am praying against induction (regarding my limited list of labor-inducers)! Most inductions begin gently with a couple different products used to soften and dialate the cirvix, such as a gel, or the cervadels I had last time.  But because these medical things also soften all scar tissue, they cannot be used in VBACs. This means if I go in for induction, it's straight to the infamous "drip". 

The drip is an IV medication that forces contractions. The reason it is so dreaded, is that unlike natural labor, once you get farther along on the medication, there are no breaks between contractions. This makes it extremely difficult to bear... And I am not sure how I feel about an epidural since I would want to feel if I am hemorrhaging from my c-section, should that occur, and an epidural blocks pain below the belly button. 

At my most recent obgyn appointment, my Blood pressure was up to the point where my Dr has prescribed me some lebatolol (a blood pressure med) for the week, in hopes that it'll buy my body enough time to go into labor naturally. If I haven't naturally labored by next week, then it'll be a scheduled induction unfortunately, likely with iv blood pressure meds to keep things stable. My home readings have also been creeping up to the maximum end of the acceptable levels, so the medication is not something I am fighting. Still, it would be nice if my blood pressure would lower itself!!

Please pray that I WONT make it to next week's appointment! Pray that my body will go into labor on its own. Based on my dr's checks (without going into gory detail) my body isn't looking super ready for birth yet... She couldn't even "sweep" (for those who know what that is) at this 39 week appointment.  So induction is more likely than natural, unless God steps in.  Hence the prayer request! :)

Prayer requests:

- that my body will go into labor naturally this week

-for a smooth, boring delivery, and safety for mom and baby

-that Josiah will adjust well, and my parents/in-laws will not get burnt out by his high energy!

-for all the business/home stuff on Curtis's mind (he's been quite stressed lately by everything that needs to remain at the forefront of his mind at all times, with having several jobs open at once, on top of more contracting type stuff for our house to try and wrap things up, let alone having a baby)

Thanks for reading and praying again this week! Regardless of whether I go into labor or I am induced, regardless of a vbac or C-section, we have made it to at least 39 weeks (tomorrow) and baby is healthy! So (Lord willing) baby will be healthy no matter how he makes his entrance!

 Hopefully my next post will have a birth announcement! I have no idea how inductions work when there's blood pressure involved... (If I will have an obgyn appointment and then go immediately to be induced due to BP, or if it'll get scheduled for sometime the following week like it does for others). I might have one more update in between if time allows, so you can all keep us in your prayers as currently as possible! We shall see how God works this week! :)

We turned his whole world upside down!

Baby news!

Yup! Little harder#2 was successfully flipped around!

I went into triage Monday at St B and they started me off with an IV and blood pressure readings... Trouble is we had a very spunky nurse who took my "I have difficult veins" comment as a challenge, and decided to let her student nurse do my IV....while my blood pressure was being taken... Ha. Did I mention how much I hate needles!? Ya my BP was like 160/110 haha! They took it again immediately afterward and it was still 151/10_(something).... So they are all freaked out and I am trying to tell them that they are stupid for taking my blood pressure WHILE giving me an IV...BY A STUDENT... I had taken it just over an hr previously at home and it was a nice calm 117/81... So they then do unnecessary blood work which my Dr has JUST done a week ago (they really listened to nothing I said...). the blood work would have been necessary, had my BP actually been elevated... I did however make them take one last reading before moving me to another room, and it went down to 130's over 80's... So at least they eventually got the picture...

Yes, the IV ended up half-way down my forearm on the inside bone... But it was the FIRST ATTEMPT! I was pretty impressed. Good job student nurse!

So, IV in place, blood stolen, they put me on the monitor thingey for about 10 minutes to make sure baby was happy. 

After this we went to an operating room for the procedure. They do it in an OR as a precautionary measure, so that they are all ready to do an emergency c-section if baby's heart rate drops suddenly (which didn't happen). That way they just kick Curtis out, knock me out through the IV and get baby out. Thank goodness that's not how our little dude is being born! But good to know they can act so fast in an emergency! 

 Curtis got to put on "greens" for the procedure... And might I add, he looked pretty darn cute in them! 

The ECV itself wasn't actually that long. Maybe 5 minutes. It's all the pre-post stuff that took time. It wasn't painful, Mostly just uncomfortable as the Dr was putting a lot of pressure on things located directly on top of my bladder (but, TMI, I held it all together!!), as well as lots of poking and pulling of skin around my c-section scar.  He pushed the head left and the bum right. It took three tries but his comment while scanning after the third try was "that bum looks an awful lot like a head!" Haha! At least he didn't say the head looked like a butt!! I'm okay having a child with a nice looking bum! ;) all jokes aside, baby was successfully turned into the proper head-down position. afterward they monitored me for a little over an hour just to make sure baby was still happy, and he was quite happy and active. Everything they like to see. 

Initially the Dr was a bit concerned after the flip, since baby's hand was sort of  wedged up above his head, between his head and my pelvis. After a second quick ultrasound and seeing the strip from the 1 hr of monitoring, he was very happy to see that the hand had moved.

The concern was that baby can't properly "engage" in the pelvis if there's a hand in the way, and therefore could more easily flip back up. So either way it would still have been considered a successful ECV. But his comment was "your baby seems to be the only one who is doing what it's SUPPOSED to do today!" And "This is better than textbook". :) job well done doc and baby!

Tuesday, I saw my OBGYN who confirmed that this little guy stayed in place overnight! So it looks like all-in-all we had success! 

Curtis News: 

Another busy week for Curtis!

He has been busy patching little dents on our walls, and fixing popped screws, so that when the painters come later this week, they can do touch ups with the can of paint we still have from last time.

He had a helper with the tape... :)

...and other things...

Work has also been busy! Always lots to do. They have been working on a very major rennovation in an already well established neighborhood, which has resulted in him being able to pass out several business cards. It's always good to make a connection!

He's managed to get a couple "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" deals too, for some of the work on our house.

Josiah News

Always busy! He's spent a decent amount of time with his grandparents this week, what with all my chiropractor appointments, fetal assessment, ECV, and OBGYN appt. But he is healthy and happy about it all. 

He's beginning to think more about baby. We set up a bassinet on the main floor and I think that is starting to help him understand that there is a baby coming to our family. 

I actually purposely put the little Colorful rings on it, so I can remind Josiah on a regular basis that "this is the baby's toy". And he always puts it back up there when he takes it down. It's nice to see him getting so curious. 

On another Josiah topic, We are starting to realize just how teeny tiny our little man is, now that we are getting clothes from Curtis's sister Bonnie. In the above photo, Josiah is wearing a sweater that his cousin Jace (12 months old) just outgrew... :) just a li'l guy! At least he'll be the oldest in his school classes one day, as a JANUARY baby. That might help by a small margin.

Other than being happy with all his "namnga " and "namngni" (grandma and grammie) time, we have enjoyed some good bonding too, as the distance has made our hearts grow fonder!

Not to mention, the days have been quite tiring for us all... It's incredible how exhausted we have all been for our various reasons. Curtis for working like a dog, me with baby and stress about the ECV stuff and blood pressure, and Josiah from having his routine changed almost daily these days 

Krysta News: 

Mother's Day was a welcomed relief! Curtis took Josiah and I out for brunch at "Lee's on DeVriese" where they had a Mother's Day special going on, and also made me a mug with Josiah's photo on it. We celebrated our moms as well throughout the weekend, so it was nice to be able to have our own little time together too. 

As you can imagine, knowing there was a chance of an emergency C-section with the ECV, I began going into crazy nesting-mode. 

There's the bassinet on the main floor (since I wouldn't have been able to do stairs right after a c-section), and then this little set-up in our closet... We've also got the glider in our room and a rocking cradle is the next thing to move in!

After the ECV I crashed pretty hard. I was just exhausted for a day and a half. Must be the release of all those stress hormones or something. Sometimes you just don't realize how stressed you are over something, till it's over eh?

Mom and I also had a very full day (more like 2 days when all is said and done) of food prep. My deep-freeze went from half-full to barely close-able!  Three large slow cookers full (pulled pork, chili and taco chicken meat), 2 bread makers (sausage buns and BBQ chicken pizza pockets), plus we made turkey meatballs,  taco beef, breakfast burritos, chicken Parmesan, and enchiladas! Yup...very busy day, and some very sore feet by the end of two days (between pre-prep and post-clean-up). 

We prepared it all to be dairy free just in case that becomes an issue again this time around. I was also blessed that Curtis's mom popped by and kicked out Josiah and I for over an hour so I could sit down.

Today (Wednesday) my mother in law also came by to defrost my freezer for me! This was a welcomed relief and made it much easier to organize and list everything in my freezer. Plus, now I know any mamma-milk that I freeze wont get freezer burn!

Well, it's been a busy week, but this is the end of this weeks post! Thanks for reading! 

Prayer requests:

-my blood pressure seems to be creeping up slowly, post-ECV. pray it will go back down 

-I have some bruising from the ECV that makes me nervous about rupturing during labor, since it is near my c-section scar (it's likely just bruised tissue, and just my anxiety that needs prayer, but still!)

-that baby will stay head-down

-for energy to finish tasks before baby comes (for Curtis)

-that my body will go into labor naturally by my due date, to prevent induction (VBAC is drip only... No nice subtle induction techniques...)

-that health will keep improving

-that we will cherish these last few weeks with only Josiah. 

Flippin' baby!

Baby news!

Well, baby had his close up today! They estimate he is about 6.5 lbs right now (but are they ever accurate? Not to my knowledge). His head is nestled safely under my left rib most of the time... Head up, bum down, feet up.

Baby #2, 37 weeks

For curiosity's sake, the photo below is Josiah at 31.5 weeks (6 weeks less than above baby). I think they look pretty different!

Josiah, 31.5 weeks

Josiah 34 weeks

Josiah 37 weeks gestation. ;) <--That's what's in mah belly!

The assessment was That this baby is a good candidate to turn around (A procedure called ECV). He has good cord blood flow (and the cord isn't wrapped around anything), he's not "engaged"/ wedged in the pelvis yet, and he is quite movable with a gentle push on the belly. However, they will need to do the procedure on the labor and delivery floor because there's a 1% chance his heart rate will drop as a result of the procedure. They would then need to sedate me and do an emergency c-section on the spot. So they have booked me for monday at 11:00 Am. First I go to triage, and they monitor baby for a while, to see where he is at, and what his "happy" looks like. Then they'll bring me to a room, hook me up to IV fluids, and an ultrasound machine. They will monitor baby there, while the doctor manually pushes around on my belly to rotate baby's head down and bum up, so he is in the correct position. Then I'll be monitored for an additional 2 hrs post-procedure to ensure baby is still happy and his heart rate is healthy. 

I am also seeing a new chiropractor, Dr Weibe (the maximised living guy) who knows a technique called the "webster's technique" where he works with the round ligaments, to relax them. This is supposed to allow baby more room to turn around, and has about a 50/50 shot of being the only thing needed to flip baby around! I am hoping that the combination of the two medical procedures will bring us to a favorable position! 

So please keep praying that baby will flip, and that this procedure will go well, without complications and that baby will be favorable to it, and not drop it's heart rate!

Curtis News:
 Not a lot new in Curtis's world this week. He is still working hard on the basement and at work! We are getting some painters in next week to do the basement. We did the mental math, and they can do it so much quicker than we can, with much better precision, that its actually cheaper than curtis taking work hours to complete it! So that'll be nice!

Josiah News:
Now that we are both feeling a bit better, Josiah has been enjoying lots of outdoors time! The more sunshine he gets, the happier he seems to be these days! He's also been talking LOTS lately. What's he saying? we have no idea... Full sentances of toddler talk, with the odd english word thrown in here and there.
 
This is the park on Hespler avenue, right near the Redwood bridge. We like to drive here sometimes because it is such an excellent park for young kids! Lots of ramps to run around on, and safe on-and-off spots, and swings, and also a green grass area to kick a ball around. Very nice!

 

We also got to spend some time with uncle Jeremy this week! Jeremy is holding Josiah up in this picture so he can see what's making the loud noise in the neighbor's yard! Josiah has been very "into" loud noises lately. Anything loud... my blender, saws, drills... and in this case, my parent's neighbor's lawn mower! It was too cute not to take a picture... :) Take THAT privacy screen!

  

Krysta News:

I am beginning to feel better! Starting to get larger chunks of sleep at night, laying down with only ONE towel under my pillow (not sleeping upright), and finally gaining weight as I ought to in this pregnancy. I have even been able to spend time outside with Josiah, which is nice, because the vitamin D will help my immune system as well. The past couple days, I have been able to cut my puffers down from 6 puffs a day to 4 puffs, so this is an improvement! I am still taking allergy meds every day, as well all the meds I talked about last week, and a farely potent "greens+" powder in my smoothie for immune boosting (it has some detoxifiers in it, so I wouldn't mind NOT using it during pregnancy) so prayer for full healing would be greatly appreciated.  

My blood pressure is still staying somewhat stable in the high/normal range, which is good. I check it twice a day, and my doctor continues to be thrilled with my home readings! My next appointment isn't till the tuesday following the baby-flipping-thingey, so not much news on this front really. I would've had an appointment tomorrow, but when they postponed the flipping to Monday, we also changed my follow-up appointment.

On a completely different topic, God and I are doing a bit of wrestling these days. Prayers for that are appreciated... Wrestling is really the best way to describe it. I have some issues that require answers from Him, but I am not running from him, we are wrestling them out. And if you visualize wrestlers, they are actually quite physically close... So although I am at odds with God, I know he is still nearby and that we'll work it out eventually. But for now, I have some bitterness and doubts that require God to intervene and deal with his own reputation (as in I dont need anyone defending God, I want him to come and do it himself. He's a big boy, he can handle it :).

Thanks!

Thank you to so many of you who are keeping us in your prayers! I know it's even more people than I am aware of, and that is such a blessing. There is nothing quite so peace-giving as the feeling of being carried on the prayers of others, so please continue praying and know how much you are appreciated and valued!

That's it for this week! Next week's blog post will hopefully be loaded with new information about baby-flipping, and plans for VBAC or C-section or there's that 1% chance it'll be a baby announcement! (... but hopefully not yet!)