last monday my coworker's baby was born. his wife was due a week after me, but apparently the baby had other plans. he was born happy and healthy at 37 weeks, but did have a hernia to address. i'm happy for them, but it really made it that much more "real" to know that my baby could arrive at any point. when i was thinking this, i reflected on how pregnancy can teach you a whole new perspective on patience. as i'm writing, i'm really starting to wish this baby would get this show on the road already.
the next day was very intense. i woke up tuesday morning with the baby in an awkward position, with his butt right under my ribcage. it's not the first time baby has found himself in that position, but it was very noticeable. just the night before when adam came to bed, he commented that he hadn't noticed me say anything about the baby moving recently. with that in the back of my mind, i went through my usual morning routine, but noticed the baby wasn't moving as usual. i typically feel a squirm or 2 while eating breakfast, but nothing. so i took a tall glass of cold water, went downstairs on the couch and drank and waited. nothing. by this point it had been a good 30-40 minutes since i had gotten up and i had eaten and drank cold water. i couldn't take it any more. i crawled into bed, woke up adam, but instead of explaining what was going on, i started to cry. sure, i was scared, but i hadn't realized just how scared i was till i had to put it into words for adam. he assured me everything was fine, but after a cigarette, he would call the hospital and see what they have to say. he called and the nurse he spoke with suggested i have some juice and call back after 45 minutes or so. but was that 45 minutes from when we first noticed nothing going on, or 45 minutes more after we spoke to her? she didn't seem too worried, but then again, not very reassuring either. i had some juice, waited 10 minutes, then we got in the car and went over to the hospital. we couldn't take it any more. adam held my hand the whole way there and although we talked about how it was most likely the baby was fine, especially since we had made it this far along, the hospital would be able to tell us for sure and put our minds at ease as best we could. i had to confess that i felt guilty dragging him out of bed for something that was probably nothing, but he insisted he wouldn't have it any other way. at that point i felt so good and bad at the same time, we got to the hospital and i felt like a bit of a zombie. when we got there, i had to change into a hospital gown while the nurse asked adam a slew of questions. in hindsight, i know adam was more nervous than he let on when he couldn't recall my birthday. he knows my birthday- has known for the last 10 years. . . but nerves can get you in weird ways. it took the nurse an agonizingly long time to find the baby's heartbeat with the fetal monitor. so much so, my blood pressure was way high (should have taken it before searching for the heartbeat!). but once that regular beat was heard, adam and i were both relieved and knew everything would be a-ok. turns out the baby didn't move till right around 8am (more than 2 hours after getting up), so we're guessing baby was just really tired that morning. some ER residents did an ultrasound and our doctor checked in on us before we left. all in all, the experience was positive and reassured us that coming in was the right thing to do.
later on that day, adam celebrated some more good news. he had his court date for the 2 bogus traffic violations he received, contested the tickets in court and won! the cop was a real jerk (gave one ticket, then when adam mentioned contesting it, he gave him another ticket since he was "going to be that way about it."), so it really made adam's day to win. between adam's quick thinking and watching lots of law and order, he questioned the offending officer so thoroughly and effectively that the judge didn't need to hear adam's side: he ruled in adam's favor and dismissed the tickets outright. truly, justice was served! adam feels some lingering disappointment for not being able to recite his well-planned statement, but when you do a good enough job of just asking questions, you kinda have to feel good about that!
thursday rolled around and i decided to vote early before my weekly appointment. this election is way too important to risk not being able to exercise my rights! the papers had been very pessimistic when reporting on early voting, citing hours-long lines all over the city since the option was made available on 10/13. so, i went to welles park at 8:45 (polls were to open at 9) and despite a line, i was in, out and voted by 9am. BUT, by 9am the line was zig-zagged around the corridor, out the door and down the block. thank goodness i went early! i got out in plenty of time for my 9:45 doctor's appointment, making the missed half day of work that much more worth while. when i got into work, my boss commented that our baby won't think it's weird having a black president and i couldn't agree more!
the doctor's appointment was another non-eventful experience, though due to some scheduling issues, i was there from 9:30 until 11. ugh. i gained a mere half pound and my blood pressure continues to be acceptable. a quick exam revealed i was barely dilated, but the doctor assured me that it was no gauge for when the baby would arrive (darn!). i asked about a recurring tingling in my right hand. . . i had chalked it up to swelling of some sort (i truly hope it is as temporary as everyone says, because i hate having sausage toes!! and i really miss :( my wedding ring). as it turns out, i most likely have a temporary version carpal tunnel. woo hoo! it's exacerbated by repetitive motions (mouse clicking, doh!, knitting, doh!) but not harmful in any real way. aside from being an odd sensation, it doesn't really bother me, but i would prefer for it to go away as soon as possible. the visit was wrapped up with a flu shot, something i really didn't think necessary, given the fact i would be home bound for the better part of flu season; but the prospect of company and being most likely sleep deprived, the doctor talked me into it. i had to chuckle at the waiver form i signed: am i allergic? who knows! this would be my first one. turns out i'm not and after a few weeks, i don't feel any worse for wear either. whew.
halloween came and went with little fanfare. i had bought some devilish wings for gibson a while back as an impulse buy from target. they were just too cute! too bad i didn't think through the sizing process, because when i attempted to put them on him after work, i was disappointed to find the straps weren't quite long enough to get around his ribcage. they looked perfect, but without a more sturdy attachment, they didn't stand a chance of staying on. ironically, i had used the wings as an inspiration for my own costume of "angel." i use quotes because it was a very loose interpretation. i wore the white sundress mom bought me over the summer (and i FINALLY got around to altering so i could fit into it: "large" was grossly misinterpreted) over jeans, my wedding tiara as halo and some blue fairy wings from a half-assed halloween from the past. i felt huge in the dress (it's very billowy) but cute enough. when i got home, i was excited to hand out candy to the kids and adam even came home early to help out. the screen from the door was removed (to hand out candy easily and keep gibson inside) and porchlight was on by 5:30 or so. . . for nothing! one person rang the bell but left before i could answer (i didn't take THAT long) and that was it. i left the light on until 8pm then called it quits. we were so bummed! good thing we got candy WE liked. . . cuz we ended up eating it all ourselves over the next few days.
monday really got my hopes up, but for little payoff. by the time i got to work monday morning, there was a ring of tightness around my torso: around my lower back and the under part of my belly. i felt different, but aside from tightness, i couldn't articulate it much more than that. i also had quite the appetite! i ate and and ate and ate (compared to my usual fare) and it kinda felt good. when nothing really happened beyond that, i came to the conclusion that the baby dropped. it did feel lower and every once in a while it seemed harder to walk "normally" from the added pressure. it was progress and i took it for all it's worth! that night adam and i did something we'd been talking about for a while: taking a belly picture! we had seen it online from someone else and it looked too cute to pass up. with the baby dropped, we figured we should really get on the ball, before there was no more belly to photograph. on the first take, it turned out well enough that we were done. of course, we would have loved to find a way to incorporate gibson in the shot too, but until he poses for the camera, we had no chance. he's in the room, though!
monday's shift got our hopes up, but thursday came and i was back in the doctor's office. i showed no weight gain, not much more dilation. my measurements confirmed the baby had dropped, but still, labor could be any day or time. the doctor confirmed that i shouldn't schedule any more appointments beyond the one the day after my due date; we will wait a week and go from there (should it come to that). i just wish there was something to know or some way to guess the timeframe.
i got back to work on thursday in time for a "surprise" shower, thrown by my coworkers. i use quotes because i got a call at the last week's doctor's appointment from my boss saying he was an idiot and to not read my email (his words, not mine). turns out his best laid plans lead him to include me in the invite. i assured him it was just as well, but he still was bummed. so i grabbed a pen and paper and headed down to the last minute "meeting" to be greeted by a room full of people around a table full of food. i think i acted surprised enough to fool the folks who didnt' know, but a few people knew better. but the bottom line was that i was truly surprised by how generous and thoughtful my coworkers are. i never would have expected so many people, so much food, such generous gifts. it really is heartwarming. it's not that i work with a bunch of duds (though there are a few), we just aren't really that social. it was a lot of fun, though that much harder to be the center of attention, since it was at least 95' in the room. it was amusing to wow everyone with my close due date (a week away) and my intention to work until the last day and attempt cloth diapering. it's almost as if practicality no longer has a place in childbearing any more. but we're bringing it back (like sexy, but better). yep, this whole work thing is pretty cool after all!
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