Family Musings

38.1 - That is the number on my chart today for how far along this pregnancy is. 38 weeks and 1 day. I have one maybe two more appointments with the ObGyn before I will meet her (or him depending on who is on call) at the hospital to help welcome Baby Sabin into the great big world. Today I met with Dr. Gatto and I must admit he was my least favorite of all the doctors in the practice. I can't say there was anything specifically wrong with him, but we just didn't click. If he was the doctor to show up for delivery, I wouldn't mind, but I wouldn't choose him. I think I was primarily turned off by his approach to pain management during L&D. He mostly talked about epidurals and how he likes to see women enjoying themselves during labor. He said recently that one woman actually asked him recently, "am I having a contraction now?" She didn't know because she couldn't feel anything! Somehow he thought this was a good thing. I don't want to know I am ...

A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. John 16.21 I love this verse. I am claiming it as I prepare for my labor and delivery experience. I know it won't be free of discomfort and pain, yet I also know it is all part of the blessing I will experience once I am able to look into the eyes of our child. I finally got myself packed for the hospital. There are still a couple of things that I need to put in the bag (I ordered them online and they haven't arrived yet), but it is all by the door now. Below is a list of items I packed (or will pack once I have). Let me know if you think I've forgotten anything that would be useful. Copy of my birth plan/preferences Sign with the above verse to hang in the delivery room Clothes for Baby Sabin to wear home (inc. socks and cap) Receiving blanket "Baby On Board" sign for the car Labor aids (loti...

I had my 37-week appointment today with Dr. Gabriel. He is one of the doctor's in the Bond Clinic practice and I am making my rounds through them since I don't know who might be on call when I go into labor. I really liked him and his sense of humor. It's not that he told jokes or anything like that, but he seemed to be quick with a smile and encouragement. That's a good thing because I found out today that my body is colonized with group b strep (GBS). Now, before your go and get all alarmed like I did, let me tell you a little about GBS. Anywhere from 30-40% of all adults carry this bacteria. For the average adult, this means nothing. Everyone has all sorts of bacteria crawling around their bodies. This is why skin to skin contact with a baby is so beneficial, it helps to colonate the baby's body with the mother's bacteria and develop resistance for the baby early on. However when GBS is found in the birth canal some medical precautions are needed. Modern medi...

I hope that if it is necessary for my ObGyn to intercede on my body's behalf during L&D, she is as careful and thoughtful as this doctor. Midwife with a Knife: A Tale of Two Births [part 1/2] I'm really looking forward to reading part 2!

I had a very relaxing week in Ft. Lauderdale. I was able to wake up and at my leisure make my way down to the pool at the Lago Mar Resort . There, I read a novel, Daughters of Silk (click here for a pdf sample of the story), and enjoyed the cool pool and the warm sun. By lunch time I would head back up to our suite, have a small meal, then get to work on some continuing education. It was all very soothing and productive. I am actually all caught up on my Reading Competency II course and should be working on it some more right now, but thought I'd catch you up on Baby Sabin's progress. Come Monday I will be in my 37th week of pregnancy which means there are 3-4 weeks left until we all get to meet Baby Sabin in person and find out if "it" is a he or a she. Here is what BabyCenter.com says about the 37th week: Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb,...

Yesterday was a long day. Bruce and I went to the prepared childbirth class at the Regency. The class was from 9 am - 5 pm with a 1-hour lunch break. I thought it might be information overload to try and absorb everything in one day instead of going to the 5-week session (1 night a week for 5 weeks), but it really wasn't. Suzzane was the instructor this time and she did a great job of keeping the class moving forward and covering information quickly enough that we didn't get bored. For those of you who don't know, I have decided to try and experience childbirth without any medical intervention. This means that, barring a medical emergency, I do not want anyone doing anything to my body other than providing comfort measures (like massage). I have read about the many different interventions that are possible (breaking the water, medication to induce or speed up labor, medication to reduce pain, constant fetal monitoring, c-sections, etc...) and it seems to me that once you de...

I forgot a picture last night! Bruce received a gift from the Tillers at the shower and he has had it on almost none stop since then. What do you think?

We have a new name for Baby Sabin - Belly Monster. I'm not sure where it came from, but it is Bruce's new fun name for the one who makes my belly move in weird ways without notice. Many people thought they'd be sneaky this past weekend and try to trick me into revealing the top real names for Baby Sabin, but I didn't just roll off the turnip truck. I knew what they were up to. I remain steadfast... you will all get to meet Baby Sabin properly at the right time. I promise. I was very blessed to have a third baby shower this past weekend. It was hosted at Beverly Tiller's house along with my mom, Debbie Suit, and Michelle Roun. Several old and new friends were present and I had a lot of fun hanging out with all of them. So many people were generous beyond belief in their gifts for Baby Sabin and Bruce and I are very appreciative. I am not sure there is much left for us to buy! There are several pictures to share this week. I hope you enjoy them all! Bruce and I are fa...

One of the great gifts I received at my baby shower last week was an Arms Reach Mini Co-sleeper. It was something that I very much wanted but hadn't even been able to find to put on either of my registries. My mom found it at Babies 'R Us and knowing how much I wanted one, purchased it as a shower gift. I am so excited about it. Last night, Bruce and I set it up and wheeled it into the bedroom to see what sort of configuration might work best for us. As I laid in bed to figure out what sort of layout was best, I put my hand into the co-sleeper and for a moment pretended that Baby Sabin was right there, soundly sleeping. Such a nice feeling washed over me as I thought about being close to my baby in the middle of the night. While I may not be looking forward to waking up several times a night, I am looking forward to this new chapter of responsibility in our lives. I know that co-sleeping, or the family bed, is a hotly debated idea in the US. However, it just makes sense to me ...

There, I said it - I love being pregnant! I love feeling my baby kick around inside of me. I love watching my belly move around like a martian is crawling under my skin. I love having my husband come up from behind me and put his hands on my belly. I love listening to him talk to Baby Sabin. I love having a ready excuse for a nap anytime I want one. I love knowing that God is growing a miracle inside of me and that I get to be a part of that experience. I know I will miss being pregnant. But that is okay... everything I love about being pregnant will be replaced with something I love about having a baby to take care of. I know that my occasional worries about the baby's movement will be replaced by worries about whether or not the baby is breathing at night. I know that my love of watching Bruce take care of me will be replaced with my love of watching him take care of Baby Sabin. I know that my love of seeing my belly move around like an ocean will be replaced by my love of watchi...