Our Body 37 Weeks

Well folks, this past Wednesday was an exciting step for us. We were finally declared to be full term and ready to deliver at 37 weeks. It has been an amazing journey and I have been waiting for this point so I can finally relax and be okay if Ty decided it was time to come out of his nestled area.

And what perfect timing because at 1:55 am that morning he decided he wanted to being his journey out. I woke up to the feeling of regular contractions. I laid in bed just tracking them for a while, before waking Chris up to tell him. We started actually documenting the contractions and they were coming every 5-7 minutes and lasting around :50 seconds each. So around 6:00 we made the call to my midwife and to our Douala and started to get ready to head to the birthing center.

Between me being slightly unmovable and in pain from the contractions we didn't arrive to the birthing center until 7:15 but Alice was there ready for us to start. She checked me and I was already at 4cm, which is huge because at our check up on Monday we discovered we had actually went from 3.5cm down to 2. So to be back up at 4 was very comforting. Once my Douala arrived we started our techniques, walking - squatting - bouncing on the ball and we managed to get to 5cm in just under 2 hours. We continued with those exercises for sometime however, they didn't have the same effect anymore. By 2:30pm we were still 5cm and my midwife decided that she didn't want us pushing it so she sent us home with strict instructions to get some sleep and take some medication to allow my body to relax. If we started up again we should call her and decide if we should head back.

We did just that, relaxed ... took the meds ... and sleep. At around 5:30 I woke up in the middle of some serious contractions. I shook Chris awake and we started tracking them again. We didn't take long this time because they were so strong and intense I knew it wouldn't be long. We made the call and started to head back to the Birthing Cottage. Let me tell you ... that was the longest car ride ever. Having contractions while stuck in the same position is evil. Everyone was already there waiting for us when we arrived and got checked ... I was at 8 cm. Wow, that was quick. First things first, we headed to the tub so I could 'relax' and labor in the tub. Yeah, it was anything but relaxing ... okay the warm water felt nice and there wasn't as much pressure but the contractions still kicked my butt. But we weren't in the tub for very long. While my midwife got the IV started for my antibiotics ... I continued to contract in the tub, my Douala supported me and Chris, bless his heart ran around being the greatest husband in the world. Just after the antibiotics kicked in and the IV removed I had the last contraction that I can remember. All I recall is looking at my Douala and screaming ... I HAVE TO PUSH ... I CAN'T STOP!!! I saw the panic in her face, and Chris' face and everyone scattered to find the midwife. She came and checked and said ... 'Yep, he's there and ready ... where do you want to push in the tub or in the bed?' All I could think of was that Chris did not want a tub birth so I said every so politely 'THE BED' (btw ... all caps means I can screaming).

We began yet another long and exhausting journey from the bathroom to the room. I never realized how big that place was until then. When we got to the room I first labored like I had hoped to, kneeling on the floor besides the bed. But after just a few moments and a few pushes it was clear that it really wasn't the best position for everyone that needed to work. So we changed and I got up on the bed. After then I can remember about 4-5 real pushes and then a lot of commotion telling me to stop. I was told his head was out and was asked if I wanted to touch it. What did I say?? NO! Then I was asked if I wanted a mirrow to see him come out. Again, NO!. Finally I was given the okay to push again and he was out and placed on my tummy. WOW, shocked, amazed, confused and wow. It was over ... 19 hours of labor and 12 minutes of pushing with no pain meds at all. Born at 9:02 on 09/02 and was a whopping 6 lbs 10 oz and 19 inches long. Wow.

Would I change a thing ... no. Would I do it again ... later ... much much much much later.

Since then we have been trying to adjust. We arrived home about 7 hours later at 4am and starting or life as new parents. So far so good. He has already had his first doctor visit and was checked out A-OK. Now the real fun begins.

Stay tuned as we now track his progress throughout his first year of life.

Our Body Week 36

So this post is just a little early but I figure who knows what will happen ... I may forget like last week.

Actually week 36 has started on a pretty good note. Chris and I had an awesome weekend going through baby stuff and putting together a few last minute touches. Including putting together the stroller ... YEAH! We also got a mattress for our crib and tested out our baby monitor system. Everything is working great.

Today I had my weekly check up with Alice at the Birthing Cottage and surprise surprise ... I didn't get yelled at. That was refreshing. Since it is getting close to 'go time' I came prepared with a few last minute questions and concerns, all of which were answered and I feel more prepared every moment. The best news of all was that next week after our weekly appointment I will be taken off of bed rest completely. Since I will be in my 37th week and it is safe to deliver she sees no reason to stay in bed and restricted. So no more meds, no more bed, I can finally get up and give in to the pressure of the nesting phase.

But don't worry, I will be sure to post ASAP if anything changes. As of right now, both Ty and myself are fine and relaxing.

Our Body Week 35

Okay, don't call me lazy, but I have been slacking so I figured I would get last week and this week in one shot. It's been just a tad bit crazy around here these past few days. So yeah, two post in one day, happy reading.

Let's see. Week 35 went by pretty slowly for most of the week. As you know already I am on strict bed rest now and can't leave the house, let alone the bedroom. I only got up to use the bathroom and shower. I felt so weak and sore and I am starting to worry that I wont have the strength for labor when it comes.

The highlight of my week, I was granted permission to go out into the world on Thursday to have my achy tooth pulled finally. So no more tooth ache. Only bad part about that experience was that the dentist was afraid to prescribe any real pain meds, not even the one my midwife approved. So once the numbness wore off all I had was extra strength Tylenol and sleep for my comfort. But I thought, you know what, I can handle these few days of pain knowing that the tooth ache I had before will never come back. :)

After that though it was back to bed, which was actually nice this weekend having Chris home and all to myself. We were able to get a lot accomplished around the home and we are almost 100% ready for baby ... almost.

Oh and one accomplishment for the week ... I wrote all my thank you cards and will be sending them tomorrow. How awesome is that. They are so cute, you are going to love them. My friend in Maryland, Linda, handmade all the cards. She is so sweet.

As for Ty, he is growing, kicking, wiggling and hiccuping everyday. Love him so much.

Our Body Week 34

I ... can't .... move .... anymore.

I can barely breathe or walk, let along, get out of the bed, a chair, the car, roll over in bed, stretch to reach the remote (2 feet away). I am only good for laying in bed and allowing Ty to stretch and wiggle as much as he likes. Oh and he finally found my ribs ... no that is not a good thing. Did I ever mention how strong he is already ... I have internal bruises. Well it hasn't been confirmed but I am sure I do.

So far week 34 has been very eventful. I went out Monday afternoon to pic up the free car seat Chris had won last week, awesome downtown adventure with my mom. Then on Tuesday had some more WIC checks to collect ... feeling blessed to have that little help. And then on Thursday had an awesome time with my dad at the dentist waiting 3 hours to be seen by the doc that only took about 10 minutes. Good thing is though I will be able to have the much needed tooth extraction need week.

As for baby and my body we are progressing very well. He's still hanging in there, I'm holding him in and he is getting bigger by the day. I can tell he growing not only from my ever expanding belly (I didn't know it could possibly get bigger) but also from how extremely tired I have been getting lately. He is sapping all my energy again forcing me to sit still and take naps as much as possible. Great for him ... tiring and boring for me.

Our Body Week 33

One more down ... 4-7 more to go. Time is getting shorter and there are still some more things that I would like to do before the big day. Good thing is that according to some of the pregnancy checklists out there, we are right on track and should be prepared for the delivery. Well I still need to start packing and preparing the bags for me, Ty and Chris for the delivery. If all goes well, and we are still at the Birthing Cottage, we won't need too much stuff. I know, after this entry I am going to make my packing lists ... that is a good place to start.

Well week 33 brings loads of excitement for us. All the different websites and books that Chris and I read regularly now put Ty weighting in at almost 4.5 pounds. That is huge, and is going to gain anywhere around .5 pounds for the next few weeks. Also, more importantly his lungs are developing now. Not fully yet, if born now we would still need to have him stay in the hospital but they are getting stronger each day.

As for me: I am in the most pain I have really ever experienced before. My ligaments and back and sides hurt so much, especially first thing in the morning and in the middle of the night. I am so glad he is growing, it's just that my body isn't. I now understand why there are so many different articles and journals written regarding uncomfortable sleep for pregnant women. Oh and my appetite is going crazy. One minute I am craving something sweet, the next something salty. But I am trying to stay away from the junk food ... been snacking a lot lately on not so healthy foods (Doritos and Hershey kisses).

Our Body Week 32

Another week down and only 5-8 more to go. I still have the feeling, especially with all that is going on lately that we are going to go early ... I am just praying that it is no earlier then 37 weeks which ... holy moly is only 5 weeks away. But honestly, I am not worried or scared at all. I feel pretty confident we have all that we need and (at least the first 3 months) and I feel Chris and I are finally ready to be parents. I am sure stuff will come up that we haven't read or heard about yet but we are strong, we can roll with the punches ... I HOPE!!!

As for me and the baby this week, honestly week 32 so far is a blur. Not much changing with me. Same ole heart burn, uncomfortable moving around, hard time sleeping and baby kicking me like crazy.

I don't feel like I am getting any bigger, but I know the baby is growing. Oh oh I did find my first stretch marks ... how sad. And we tried so hard for months now to avoid them. I guess it was inevitable. At least they aren't too bad and I am sure they will fade away a little in the months to come. I am so hopeful :)

Our Body Week 31

Today we enter the 31st week of pregnancy and each week that passes is such a blessing right now. Ty is getting much bigger and stronger. His last major organ to develop now is his lungs so we are constantly praying for them to develop as much as the can just in case my body decides that time is up. Here is more information that babycenter.com has to offer regarding Week 31.

As for me, I am doing pretty good. As usually getting larger is putting a lot of strain on my every day movements, just getting out of bed is such a hassle. Being on bed rest with my legs and arms getting weaker by the day doesn't help either. But I did get the okay from my midwife so start doing some in bed exercises and some light stretching so hopefully that helps with my muscles and joints.

Other than that I am just glad to be still pregnant and counting down the days. Luckily the medication that the midwife has put me on to help control my contractions has effected me that much. Thankfully the contractions are very rare now, maybe 2-3 a day compared to 6-7 a day before.

We will continue to keep everyone posted to how things are going. Thanks for the prayers.

Peace Out

Our Body Week 30

Wow, what a week we have had. I am sure by now you have read Chris' post from Monday regarding our emergency room experience and the results. Man it has been crazy. Here is a little update on how Ty and I are doing.

This week we hit the big 30, I can't believe it either. I know so much time has passed but I doesn't seem that long ago that we made the announcement that we were pregnant, now we are 3 quarters of the way done. With all that is happening, right now my goal is to make it at least the next 7 weeks, any more than that would be great also. Sounds like Ty may be growing at an awesome rate. According to Week 30 on babycenter.com he should be almost 3 pounds, however the ultrasound we had done this weekend puts him at more like 3.3 pounds. Awesome, you go Ty.

Exciting news: We do not have to change doctors, I can stay with the Birthing Cottage for now. Even with all we are going through we still aren't considered high risk enough to have to change doctors. We went in to see Alice Monday morning and she was able to do her own check up and access our situation. She has of course put me back on bed rest, this time a little more stricter then the last and has prescribed a medication to help reduce and/or stop my contractions. It has only been 3 days now, but it already feels so different from the last bed rest. After the stress and excitement of this weekend and then starting this new bed rest my body is far weaker then it has been in weeks. But I have found some sources describing different bed rest exercise I can do to maintain strength in some places. Hopefully I can start those soon, after I check with Alice.

Highlight of my week so far: Chris, in less than an hour, has put up the new crib beside our bed. Looks awesome and make me even more excited to see our little monkey.

Peace Out

Our Body Week 29

This week we have entered our 29th week and time is starting to really fly now. We have so much planned for our 30th week celebration, including THE SHOWER!!! Can't wait.

As for the baby, Ty is growing a lot and really kicking around now. Week 29 on babycenter.com has him at 2.5 pounds already. Some other websites put him at almost 3 pounds. Either way, I'm impressed. Probably because of the weight and growth, I now feel each and every movement and he moves A LOT. Either he doesn't sleep that much or he is a sleep walker. Luckily I haven't really experienced the sharp kicks to the ribs yet, just to my sides.

Being off of bed rest this week so far has been amazing. It is weird, the more active I am the less braxton hicks contractions I get. Hmmm I wonder if there really was a connection to laying down all the time. I am a little more tired at night though, probably because I am involved with so much more during the day.

I am praising God that there are still a few symptoms I haven't received yet and Lord willing I won't. Mainly speaking of hemorrhoids and constipation. You can keep those.

Other then that I am good. Still trying to focus on now doing the waddle walk. But it is hard not to do. Especially right when I stand up and my hips and lower back need to adjust, or when my sciatica nerve is acting up I start limping not really waddling but you can't tell the difference.

Just think 9-12 weeks it will all be different ... life will be different. Hope I am a good mom.

Our Body Week 28

I don't feel like I should title these 'My Body' anymore because it is clearly not my body, it is ours, and sometimes just his. I have come to accept that the only thing I really have control over anymore is what I get to do while sitting in bed. What I eat, when I pee, how long I sleep, how I sit, how I lay, nothing is in my control anymore. But hey, only 10-12 more weeks and my little Ty will be here.

I tell you what, I have a text book pregnancy because as soon as that third trimester hit I got everything they said I should. My mobility has been so limited it's not funny. At least the babycenter.com's description of week 28 isn't all that bad and baby boy is getting big now.

I have really accepted and grown accustomed to being on bed rest now, which actually isn't all that bad any more. I just have to make sure I take the time to stretch my muscles out a few times a day so I don't get all cramped up. Keep the blood flowing.

I think little Ty is going through a lot of growth this past week because I have been wiped out each night, sleeping so long and very hard because it takes a lot to wake me up. And that is even with an hour or two nap in the day. His kicks and movements have gotten much stronger lately, but not strong enough to wake me up. I did however have a weird dream about watching my belly while he was kicking and now that I think about it I think it was him moving around for real and it was so strong that it appeared in my dream. Silly baby.

My Body Week 27

♫My God is an Awesome God
He reigns on heaven and earth
With wisdom, power and love
My God is an Awesome God♫

I woke up this morning with that song in my head, and the next thing I know Chris comes into the room and says Happy 3rd Trimester. Awesome way to start the day. I hope the rest is sunshine and roses also.

Well today beings week 27 is this awesome pregnancy journey and I feel so blessed each day that I am on bed rest. Why you ask? Because each day I am on bed rest is another day Ty is still cooking and not coming out before his time.

As you may have already read, this weekend one of the nurses phoned to inform me of a bacteria present in my urine test. I have been on the antibiotics now for almost 5 complete days and I am happy to say there are no side effects at all. I am one of those people that get at least 75% of those nasty side effects that medications warn you about.

I am also down to like 4-5 of those painless braxton hicks contractions I was so concerned about earlier. I guess it shows that this whole being in bed thing and resting does actually pay off.

Thanks to everyone so far that has voted on our new baby contest. If you haven't done so yet check out the link on the top right corner. It is fun.

Peace Out

My Body Week 26

Hallelujah, we have made it another week and Ty is still put inside my stomach. I think he is trying to find his way out though, I am pretty sure of it. He has kicked the top of my cervix so much this week it isn't funny. I try to tell him to stop, that's not a good idea, but he hasn't figured it out yet. In the mean time he continues to grow and feed off of all my food and stuff. Check out what babycenter.com has to say about week 26.

Other than that I am doing pretty good. Ty is growing a lot and my stomach is starting to get real tight now so moving around is starting to get a little harder. Doesn't make it an easier right after I eat and my stomach gets even tighter. But since changing my diet I have learned how to eat much smaller portions so it don't get up stuffed too often.

Other personal stuff ... we have to baby stuff. We got our baby crib, tons of clothes and a few items for cleaning and care. Can't wait to get to use them.

Peace Out

My Body Week 25

Ladies and gentlemen, we have successfully passed another week and Ty is growing strong. We have hit a lot of crazy little pot holes in the road to delivery lately but I am hoping things will start smoothing out now. We have received a tremendous amount of support from family and friends and it is just awesome. Thanks so much guys.

We of course are still following babycenter.com and assume that our baby is developing just on schedule with the what they say is happening ... just makes it easier for us. Week 25 talks about Ty getting a little chunkier now and putting on some baby fat. How cute!!!

As for me, I am starting to get a hang of this bed rest deal and making the most of my time. Still eating well and have been able to really monitor and maintain my weight. Been spending my time counting baby kicks but since I have been on bed rest his kicking habits have changed a lot so now I have to get used to an all new pattern.

Oh I do have the lovely experience of heartburn again now. For the past 5 nights it comes on at about 7pm and lingers until at least 11pm. Hopefully I am able to fall asleep early and miss half of it. A lot of it is due to the bed rest. Even though I am not laying down after I eat, I am so in active my food just isn't digesting fast enough. Good thing, I am not as hungry any more, but thing is stomach acid in the throat ... OUCH!!!

Peace Out

My Body Week 24

I can't believe that we have made it to six months already. It is amazing how time can fly sometimes. It is funny because I will complain at how slow time seems to be moving but I didn't expect to be this far along so fast. Time to start gearing up for the big day (4 months away). Now according to babycenter.com at 24 weeks Ty is the size of an ear of corn ... reading their site always makes me hungry.

As for me, things are awesome. Chris and I had a great time at our first parental visit with Dr. Alice at the Birthing Cottage. She is a really nice doctor and I am even more excited about the time we will spend there. Chris has a nice video of the heart beat that he will be putting up soon.

I haven't received the results of the Glucose test I took last week Thursday but I will be doing another one with the cottage at the end of the month anyway. As for now I am going to continue to walk for 30 minutes everyday and eat and pretty darn healthy diet.

Peace Out

My Body Week 23

Hey friends and family. Here is a quick entry to announce our 23rd week of pregnancy. Excited that things are continuing to progress and that we still have a healthy baby boy growing and kicking me all the time. What I think is adorable is that according to babycenter.com at week 23 our baby is about the weight of a large mango ... yummy!!!

As for me, I am still growing which isn't always a good thing. But I have started to make great steps toward improving my diet and exercises routine. So far it has been working, I feel great and started to not be as hungry and snacky anymore. The best thing for me right now is out of sight out of mind. If the snack food is in front of me, or someone else is eating it then I struggle. But if it isn't ever around, I am good.

My experience yesterday taking the early Glucose test didn't go all that bad. The wait was pretty short and the drink honestly wasn't that yucky at all. It was just really really sweet. They say we will have results in a week so until then I will continue to pray and do what I gotta do.

Other then that, I am doing pretty good. Happy that Chris is working and excited about our first visit at the Birthing Cottage on Monday. We will let you know how that goes.

Peace Out

My Body Week 22

Now into my 22nd week and I had a revelation this week ... I am ready to be a mother. I know it is a little late in the game to finally get to this point, but hey better late then never. I think it finally hit my this past Tuesday when Chris and I attended a breastfeeding class held at Babies R Us. We arrived about 15 minutes early so we cruised around the store scanning more random stuff to add to our registry then headed to the class location. There were approximately 5 other pregos at the class and 1 other guy. It was a simple class, with a video and then additional info by Meg, a lactation specialist and mid-wife. She was pretty cool, relaxed and informative. But anyways ... I'm rambling ... it was during the class that I began to envision breastfeeding and taking care of little Ty and I started to feel all motherly and get excited. FINALLY!!!

The little monkey is starting to grow even more. He weights around a pound now (yeah ... no more just ounces). Oh and his eye lids are forming ... cute. Check it out here on babycenter.com week 22.

As for me ... well I am not all that great.

As for the pregnancy, I am doing pretty good. The most exciting mile stone for me this week is I am starting to feel those fun and exciting braxton hicks contractions. I had one really strong one this past weekend, but they are mostly just uncomfortable and weird. Chris got to feel my stomach during one and felt on tight and hard it got.

I am not that great because of my forever hurting tooth. It has gotten progressively worse to the point where it is unbearable now. I made poor Chris have to leave a movie we paid for (no refunds) after only 15 minutes into because the pain was so bad. Good news is that I finally spoke directly with someone at Medicaid regarding my account specifically and I have a higher level of Medicaid then I thought and I now have the name and number of the specialist that will be able to do the procedure I need, probably next week. I will have to tough it out for this weekend, but knowing that the end is near makes it just slightly easier.

I really have to give God the praise and glory for this one. I was really reaching out to Him for this and just when I felt I reached my limit I received the news and answer to my prayers. God is awesome.

Peace Out

My Body Week 21 ... Are We There Yet?

Okay, I think Chris, myself and the baby have stepped into some weird time warp thingy where time just seems to slow down way too much. Now that we are finally more then half way through it seems to be taken forever. Not only with us, but the baby also. Well the babies growth is started to slow down significantly and now its mainly just focused on getting some fat. There's more going on in there, check it out at babycenter.com, week 21.

As for me, at some point during the week along my usual outings and adventures someone hit me with a fairy heartburn stick. So sweet!!! So every night now after 7pm I get these immense waves of heart burn in my upper chest and throat. Oh but don't worry about me ... its for the baby.

And if you haven't noticed, the babies movements, yeah they creep my out. But to make it even better, now we can actually see my belly move when it kicks. CREEPY!!! Just wait until we can actually make out body parts. I told Chris when that starts I will just put up a pillow on my chest so he can see it but I can't. :)

Oh and can someone please get me some WATERMELON!!! Lots of it.

My Body Week 20

WE MADE IT!!! The half way mark. Very exciting. To celebrate, Chris and I got that babies coming home clothes. And it is adorable.

It has been a while since our last post. We have two very special blog posts that we are working on. We are having some technical difficulties with the videos but I promise they will be worth the wait.

As for me, according to the babycenter.com and what they say about week 20, I am overweight. Okay okay, so it didn't say that, but it does say that the average weight gain by now is 10 pounds and I am a little over 20 pounds now. I already felt a little chunky, so reading it didn't help at all. :)

Other than that, I am doing pretty good. I am finding it challenging at times to get used to my changing body. Each week I find that I can't do yet something else that I used to. Right now, depending on where the baby is sitting it can be just a tad uncomfortable to lean forward and get up out of bed. And I am sure it will only get worse. I just hope I can continue to exercises and that will in turn make the growth easier on me also. We will see.

Peace Out

My Body Week 19

I can't believe that we are almost half way there. A lot has happened this week so look forward to see a few posts in the next couple of hours. As for my progress, here is what the babycenter.com has to say about week 19 of our pregnancy. I love the little disclaimer they have each week that each baby develops differently. I'm convinced that we have the text book pregnancy.

Oh wait ... hold on the little monkey is moving around right now ....

Ok so how am I doing this week? I am doing pretty good. A little tired but good. We have been busy working around the house. We are going to be changing bedrooms with my nephew because his room is a little larger and we will need the space. We are still praying that by the time the baby arrives we can afford our own place but just in case we need to start the change over now. Because of that I haven't been able to work out as much as I like but I think with all the work we are doing around the house it equals out.

I have noticed that I am starting to move a lot slower now though. I need to keep myself active so I don't start getting lazy and bummy. But getting up and just walking across the house takes a lot of effort. Hope this doesn't continue.

I have been gaining a good amount of pounds. Great for the baby, bad for me. The doctor said if the weight gain is too much, and not necessary going to nutritious and sustain the baby, I should start by cutting out the sugars ... starting with my juices. I drink a lot during the day but not enough water. She said I don't have to cut out juice all together but drink more water and when I do drink juice, to put a lot of ice or add more water to dilute the sugar some.

That's it really. Other then that I am just excited and looking forward to the weeks to come. Glad things are moving along faster now.

Continue to pray for Chris and I as we are still looking for employment. God has really covered us these past few months and we are so grateful.

Peace Out,
Philippa Channer

My Body 18 Weeks

Okay folks, this is going to be a super duper short post. Chris, the parents and I just returned from an awesome time at Ft. Myers Beach. Had a great time at the beach and at the hotel pool. We turned 18 weeks while relaxing at the condo ... good times. We didn't have too much Internet access ... there was a Wifi signal but it was so weak it would take like 10 minutes for a page to load so we had to wait until we got back to make any posts or read what babycenter.com had to say about week 18.

As for me:

Honestly, this week I am feeling just ... okay. I think I am either coming down with something or I am having some 1st trimester relapse here and there. I feel kinda nauseous every now and then light headed. But it hasn't been that bad. Chris of course being the awesome husband and father to be that he is always does a search on my symptoms to make sure it is nothing serious so we have been taking the suggested advice and most have disappeared.

Oh one weired thing is that I am still tired at times but just came seem to be able to sleep during the days any more. Which I guess isn't too bad because I can get more done with my time ... but is this a sign of something being wrong???


Peace Out,
Philippa Channer