I [Heart] My Life

All Hail the Food Tree!

If you have friends or family having babies, even if they don't have a formal food tree, take them a dinner or two after the baby comes. I can't tell you how much it helps. (Better yet, organize their food tree!) We had a wonderful pospartum period here in our "baby bubble." We couldn't have asked for a better time to bond with Nia, and a big part of it was the support we got from our friends and family. Having dinner taken care of, either by Pam or by our Food Tree people was a huge load off our minds.

Some of our food tree highlights (in case you need ideas when doing this for someone else): Crepes and cobb salads from The Crepe Place, cheeseburger pie and sparkling pink lemonade, stuffed chicken breasts from Gayles, yummy whole wheat pasta with mushrooms and brushetta, salmon with mango salsa and roasted veggies, calazon from Holy City, triple chocolate cookies and strawberries with balsamic, Peppy Tom pizza from Engfer, quinoa & squash salad, bbq-ed tritip and corn on the cob, lasagna, chicken enchilada casserole, green beens & beet salad, Indian style chicken breasts, and Grandma's-Chicken-Soup-From-Portugal with home-grown salad greens.

Thank you to Erin for so masterfully organizing our Food Tree, thank you to all of you for participating, and thank you to Pam for all the meals in between (and still!).

Big Insurance Surprise

Today we got a reimbursement check from Blue Shield for a portion of our home birth costs! They ended up covering about $1500 of the $4000 birth. This was a very pleasant surprise as I didn't expect them to cover any of the prenatal/birth costs. So, anyone out there thinking of having a home birth but don't think insurance will contribute -- go ahead and submit your bills!

"The Opening Song" -- Using My Voice in Labor

In the last post, Corinne asked for more info on what I meant when I said I used my voice during contractions. Basically I said "Ohhhhhh" during each and every one of my contractions as long, low and loud as I needed to. Sometimes I had to do it four times with all the breath I had to get through as a lot of my contractions were 90 seconds long, and then they were coming two right back to back with very little break in between. This low "Oh" sound is something I've done with doula clients and we practiced it in our childbirth ed class while holding ice cubes for 60 second stretches. For me, it was the most effective way to keep my mind from freaking out and analyzing the pain and going to a "why me?" state of mind. The theory is, too, that it is impossible to dilate a cervix with a tight jaw, so making the Oh sound keep my mouth loose. Also, I was trying to direct the energy down, which is why a low sound was better than high pitched wailing, which would have totally worn me out.

I had to have Joe do the sounds with me on each and every contraction. His voice kept me centered on my own voice, and also a lot of the time I had my head on his chest and the vibration of his voice was very grounding. Zomina was here during the labor, upstairs with Phil, Pam and Anna. When she arrived, she heard us doing this Oh sound together and asked Anna, "What song are they signing?" The next day I told her it was the "Opening Song."

Nia's Birth Story

Born Tuesday, May 20th, 11:39pm at home with the help of midwife Roxanne Cummings
8 lbs, just shy of 21" long

Our birth story begins with our Tuesday afternoon prenatal appointment with Roxanne. We requested a cervical exam and found, to our delight, that our little one's head was quite low, the cervix was posterior and quite effaced, and it was 1 cm dilated -- all of this was a HUGE change over the week prior when all signs seemed to indicate the baby was sitting tight for awhile. In fact, Joe and I felt sure our little one was going to be a June baby! (I suppose this was her first lesson to us in not planning or pretending to know too much!)

At the time of the appointment I was not feeling any contractions, though had felt that the Braxton Hicks were getting a bit stronger, and starting to be felt mildly in my back (though by no means were they getting my attention really). Nonetheless, Joe and I were very excited at the findings of the appointment and were happy that our baby was on her way. Still we had no idea how soon. So, Joe went off to work over the hill in Cupertino and I came home to what I realize in retrospect was some pretty intense nesting -- I scrubbed our two 8' wide sliding glass doors and made out a list of several errands to run before the evening prenatal yoga class (including, randomly, washing the car!). After the cleaning, I sat down to a snack and shortly after felt a jolt in my belly -- a sensation I can only describe as a water balloon popping inside. It wasn't painful at all but definitely got my attention. There was no liquid right away but after walking around a bit, my underwear was soaked. This was at 4pm. Kelly, the midwives' assistant, came over soon after to confirm whether the fluid was amniotic or not. It was. As I was not feeling any contractions at that point, Kelly and I discussed methods for getting labor going (a walk involving stairs, acupuncture, etc.). I had tested posted for Group B Strep so it was important that my labor start within 18 hours for me to be able to deliver at home. She said that if labor hadn't started by 9pm, I should get a good night's rest and then we'd try again in the morning.

Kelly left and Joe headed home from work to help me get the contractions started. However, by the time Joe got to our home, at 5:16 (he remembers the time exactly!), I was in active labor! It just came on strong and almost out of the blue. So much for all our plans of early labor projects (making up the bed to be water proof, setting up the birth tub in the living room, baking a birthday cake...)! My labor was quick (7 hours, 40 min from when the water broke). Because of this, the challenge of the labor for me was that I got very little breaks between the contractions. The things that worked for me in staying on top of the contractions were laboring on the toilet and then in the birth tub, using my voice and hearing Joe sound along with me, and having pressure on my sacrum. The water and using my voice along with Joe's were the biggest helps, though.

I pushed for approx. 1 hour before our little angel was born on the birth stool, as healthy as could be. I tried a couple of positions on the bed, but found the most effective place for me was on the stool. I tore a little and needed a few stitches, but nothing bad. Within the first hour, Nia nursed and the three of us were just high as kites. I don't think Joe and I managed to fall asleep till well past 4am!

Nia's Here!

Most everyone knows by now that last Tuesday night we welcomed our little one into our arms -- our sweet baby girl, Miss Nia Beju. It is hard to believe that she's already a week old! Nia had her first outing today. She went to the pediatrician just to make sure everything was good with her since she'd never seen a doctor before. Joe and I were pretty nervous about the whole thing since it meant going in the car and being out in the world for the first time. Nia was a champ -- all wide-eyed and alert. After awhile she got a little tired of being undressed at the doctor's office, but who can blame her? She retaliated, though, by peeing all over the floor. :) Nia's stats: At birth she weighed 8 lbs. Now she weighs just shy of that at 7 lbs and 15 oz. The nurse measured her at 20.5" but our midwife clocked her at 20.75" so who knows how long she is. And, for what it is worth, her head is 14" in circumference.

But none of that tells you that she the sweetest little girl. She spends a lot of time eating and sleeping, of course, but she is also rather alert a lot of the time, too. Taking everything in including us, her Grandpa George, and her Bama and Baba. Really, she's been so very patient with us as we try to learn how to diaper her, nurse her, swaddle her, etc. We have so much to learn -- and there is absolutely nothing else we'd rather do!!

Where Did This Enormous Belly Come From??

Just three days till the due date now... Lying low during this heat wave, but still feeling pretty good. Mostly I'm just really tired. But I'm getting lots of rest. Just waiting...

(In all honesty, I can't really see my feet. I had to hold the camera way out to shoot this picture!)

A Quilt for the Baby!

A huge thank-you to my sister-in-law, Whitney, for making our little one this gorgeous frog quilt!! We absolutely love it, and know the baby will, too! I can't believe that on top of a logging sports competition, college graduation, wedding planning, buying a house, and a car trip to CA (plus a million other things), you had time to make us this quilt! You're amazing -- thank you!

Ah, Maternity Leave At Last!

I've officially begun my maternity leave now, and what a relief! I kicked it off my having my friends Mina and Michelle bring me dinner last night, and then I slept for 11 hours! Today I'm looking forward to an acupuncture appointment and then visiting with Kyle and Whitney (here at my house -- sorry guys, pretty much everyone will have to come to me now, instead of visa versa!). What a relief to get to relax with my feet up!

Little One, Are You a Boy or a Girl?

I'm getting so curious! Earlier in my pregnancy, most everyone said they were getting a girl vibe. Now, lots of people are saying it's a boy. Even Zomina believes it is a boy (though she'd prefer a girl, she says). When the midwives check the little one's heart tones, the rate is in the boy range (boys are slower than girls), but both midwives were quick to say they've seen plenty of girls with heart rates in the boy range... I'm so curious!!This is so fun!

39 Weeks: Nesting is in High Gear

1 week to the due date; 2 more days of work till maternity leave...

Everyone has been asking me if the baby has dropped yet. I really had no idea, but a trip to the midwives today confirmed that the baby is still riding high in my belly --- so no dropping yet. (In other words, birth does not seem eminent.) I ended up being examined by 3 people today because at one point they were not sure of the exact position of the baby. The baby has been head down for months now, but today the midwives weren't 100% sure if they were feeling a booty or a head. But eventually they agreed that the little one is still head down. Phew! (In Santa Cruz County, the midwives don't do breach births at home.)

Nesting is in high gear around here. The baby's room is now bursting with anticipation -- piles and piles of clean, ready-to-use diapers and reusable wipes, clean and sorted baby clothes line the dresser drawers, supplies for the home birth are stacked and ready to go, toys and board books wait patiently for little hands, the teddy bear sits on the bed, a plastic bag lines the now-empty diaper pail... All waiting. In fact, I've been so on top of the nesting, that now I don't know what I'll do while I continue to wait for the baby. OK, stop. I take that back. I'm going to REST!! I am exhausted, and my ankles are oh-so swollen.

But overall I feel good. Getting anxious to meet this little boy or girl, though! We're ready for you, little bug!

(In other news, a big congratulations goes out to Whitney who graduated with honors this past weekend from the University of Montana, Missoula! Way to go, Whit! Can't wait to see you and Kyle this week!)