My good friend, Braxton

During my pregnancy with Cece, I experienced Braxton Hicks contractions once.  One afternoon, while still at school, I experienced contractions that I thought could be the beginning of the real deal.  I drove home (at the end of the school day), and continued to time them.  They petered out to nothing.  I chalked it up to Braxton Hicks contractions.

During this pregnancy, for weeks already, I've been experiencing contractions.  Not at all regular, just definite "toning" contractions, getting my body ready.  And they feel just like contractions (well, how early contractions feel to me).  Not painful, necessarily, but an involuntary tightening of the muscles.  Like two hands wrapping around the top of my uterus for the sides and giving a nice squeeze.  My stomach will feel hard to the touch and then relax, and then the baby will kick and squirm and move.

My midwife indicated that these contractions are probably what helped to get his head down.  Oh!  I forgot to mention that piece of good news.  He is head down!  And has been that way for a while now. One thing about the possible polyhydramnios is that he has a veritable Olympic size swimming pool in there and could just as easily turn again, but I'm just going to be happy that he's in position for now and go with that.

Anyway, back to contractions.  So, for people who know how quick my last labor was, this can be a bit unnerving.  My sister asked, "How do you know they're not real contractions."  I know.  Well...I guess I don't, but I'm pretty sure.  I will know when I can't stand through them that THEN they are real.  So, that will help.  So, if you see me clutch at my stomach, don't be alarmed.  If you see me curled up in a ball on the floor, that might mean...something.

Also, the name Braxton is starting to grow on me.

Group B Strep - Prevention is the best Medicine

The next adventure will be the Group B Strep culture.  36 week appointment will be a big day!  I tested negative for Group B Strep during my first pregnancy, but a friend who tested positive during her second pregnancy raised my awareness of what a positive reading would mean.  Four hours of antibiotics prior to delivery of a baby.  And, if labor is longer, antibiotics every four hours.  So, this hadn't occurred to me before, but I try to avoid antibiotics if I can find a natural way to remedy an issue.  And (knock on wood), we haven't had an infection with Cece that required antibiotics yet.  And I like it that way.  Antibiotics are a modern medical miracle, but so are probiotics and having a healthy overall system.  Overuse can throw things off.  And use before baby is even born can really throw things off, before they even get a chance.  That said, Group B Strep is serious business.  If passed to a newborn, there can be complications.  I don't make less of that.  But, after some research, it seems there are measures I can take to prevent a positive reading and that I can continue to administer to prevent a positive environment during labor and delivery.  And I plan to.  For anyone looking, here's the code words you need to know:

• Garlic
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Tea Tree Oil (diluted)
• Yogurt
• Probiotics

Have fun!!

Fluid Levels

So, I posted a little about the possibility of polyhydramnios this time around in my Natrum Muriaticum post.  That was before my ultrasound and after using natrum muriaticum.  At the time, my fundal height was measuring 2 weeks ahead.  I did some personal research and looked back at my notes from my first pregnancy.  Fortunately, my neurotic self who had lots of time on her hands during her first pregnancy kept meticulous notes.  So, I went into the ultrasound armed with a pre-conceived notion of how many units of fluid would qualify me as having high fluid.  Granted, my midwife caught onto this nonsense a bit earlier in this pregnancy than my OB did in my last pregnancy.  My notes indicate that I was measured at 34 weeks and 36 weeks during my last pregnancy and my ultrasound this time around fell during my 32nd week.  So, the percentiles are evidently different depending on how far along the pregnancy is, etc.  Last time around my fluid measurements were 29.4 and 30, respectively.  This time around it was 21~22 and it was declared "upper limit to normal".  I heard normal...did you hear normal?  When I went to the midwife an hour later, she indicated that that was all well and good, but 12-15 is more like "normal."  And, the Fetal Diagnostic Center had already scheduled a follow up ultrasound for 36 weeks, so I upped the ante on the Natrum Muriaticum and I'm hoping for the best.

Again, since these posts have been sporadic at best, I might as well combine the latest and greatest information.  In the meantime, my super positive and supportive husband decided and convinced me that the Natrum Muriaticum MUST be working because I was shrinking before his very eyes.  Definitely more compact.  Definitely...

I had another appointment with my midwife two weeks later.  Instead of measuring 2 weeks ahead, I measured 3-4 weeks ahead.  So, at 34 weeks, my fundal height measured 37-38 cm.

Jeff just couldn't believe it.  We looked at pictures from my pregnancy.  We have one for each week.  He said...see, here...it's really big, but then it gets smaller.  As we clicked through and my belly kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger, and he says, "See here, it's really big, but then..." and then we got to the last and most recent picture.  It didn't look like I'd wasted away to nothing.  To be kind.

Here's the play by play from Week 30-34

Do you see the shrinking?

 

Tight Pants

So, this is now a few weeks ago as I intended to post in a much more expeditious manner to update you all about my ultrasound, fluid levels, etc.  But, first things first.  On a very "Monday" Monday, I found myself sitting at a desk for an inordinate amount of time.  And when I stood up and went to walk, I found myself in an excruciating pain.  So, I sat down again.  And googled.  It felt like what I imagined round ligament pain would feel like.  And I'd been anticipating experiencing round ligament pain because this was my second pregnancy and that's what I've been told to expect.  So, I did.  So, I googled round ligament pain.  And it indicated it would be a sharp pain.  Yes.  That would last a few moments and pass.  Um, no.  And then I panicked.  This was what everyone talked about.  The utter pain of being pregnant.  Thus far, I had been so lucky, so fortunate, to feel comfortable during pregnancy.  But now, all that was over.  I'd be in pain for the remainder.  Alas, it had come time to walk students back to class.  And so, I did.  Or, well, I hobbled.  And I talked to a teacher that I had borrowed a pregnancy support belt from before and tried to figure out if I had it somewhere or had returned it.  And then I went to the bathroom.  And when the waist band of my pants was no longer cutting off the circulation just below what used to be my waist, the pain went away.  Completely.  I had reached the point in pregnancy when all pants needed to have a very stretchy, very large panel.  Or else I couldn't walk.  NBD.  So I called Jeff and my amazing, stupendous, wonderful man of a husband drove a new pair of pants to my place of work so that I could get changed.  It was that or mumus from here on out.

In COMPLETELY different news, one of my amazing cousins created a video "redux" of Tight Pants Body Rolls.  A song I'd never heard of before she did so.  And since you may not have either, I will post the original video as well because the resemblance is uncanny.  Enjoy as you laugh at my tight pants and hers.