Our Breech Homebirth Story

I'd better get this down before I forget some of the details. It should probably go without saying that this will be more information than some people will want, so proceed with caution. It might also go without saying that it’s long - in true Speechaholic fashion. I've included some pictures, but don’t worry I wouldn't put them up if they showed something that people shouldn't see. However, they are birth pictures, so be warned there is blood etc.

Saturday 6/15/13 

2:00 AM

Friday night I went to bed as usual, but woke up at 2:00am on Saturday thinking that my Braxton-Hicks were more uncomfortable than usual. I thought maybe it was real contractions, and noticed that they seemed to come about every 15-20 minutes, but I also thought I might just be dreaming it up because I'd done that before (or I'd had contractions in the night but nothing in the morning and assumed it was a dream?). I slept in between them but they still woke me up and it was a pretty restless night. 

10:00 AM

When I got up I thought they'd stopped but once I was up and moving around I noticed they were still happening. I started timing them again and they were consistently 9-10 minutes apart and about 50 seconds long. They were more uncomfortable than BH contractions but not actually what I would call painful, and they were different than my BH contractions. I continued about my day because I wasn't sure that they'd stick around and didn't want to get our hopes up. We did some weeding in the garden, cleaned the house a little and then went up to the neighbors to swim and eat dinner by the pool (I didn't swim but Blake did). Before we went to neighbors, I told Blake my suspicions. 

7:00 PM

After dinner my contractions had continued to be about 6-8 minutes apart, 50 seconds long and were getting stronger. We headed home because I couldn't hide it anymore and we thought we should take a nap if we could. We called the midwife and gave her a head's up in case she wanted to take a nap too. We also let some family and friends know that this was probably it! I put on my TENS to help with lower back pain and tried to sleep. I only got about a 30 minute nap and the evening continued on at about the same pace. Slow. Contractions still 6-8 mins apart and lasting about 50 secs, not too painful but uncomfortable and getting more intense, slowly. 

9:30 PM

We decided to go to bed and see when they woke us up. Again, I got about 30 minutes of sleep and after laying there for a while I got up to move around. The contractions were more painful when I was laying so I kept moving. I wanted Blake to sleep as long as he could so I wandered the house, sat on the ball, etc, just focusing on relaxing during each one and wishing it to just do it's job - dilate! 

Sunday 6/16/13 2:00 AM

Contractions were starting to be more consistently 4-5 minutes apart and I was about to wake up Blake.. but then they spaced way out, 7, 9, 6, 8, 5, 7 mins.. they were all over the place! I was so frustrated. I was exhausted. I thought we were getting somewhere and was so disappointed by the set back. I'd been trying to squat or sit on the ball so that my contractions were more effective, but I was so tired I felt like I was getting nowhere. I also started getting a bloody show at this point and felt like that meant I was probably just starting to dilate. All that work and I'm just now dilating!? I decided to lay down and try to get some sleep, even if laying down made the contractions hurt more and less effective, I just couldn't do it anymore. 

3:00 AM

Discouraged, I climbed into bed, which woke Blake up. For some reason laying down sped up my contractions and they started coming every 2-3 minutes and they were intense. I couldn't sleep but it still felt good to lay down for a bit. Blake saw how fast they were coming and got worried. I tried to explain that this was a fluke, they've been all over the place, but he was worried that I’d let him sleep too long and that we should have called our midwife already. After I got up they spaced out again and were variable 5, 7, 3, 4, 6, 3, 6 etc. Finally.. sometime after 4:00 am they'd been consistently 2-5 minutes apart and very intense for long enough we decided to call the midwife. I was so glad to have Blake from that point on, it was so helpful to have him there to work through the contractions with me. The TENS had been helping, but they were getting pretty intense and I needed his emotional support and it also helped to have him talk me through (“45 seconds, halfway there, almost done”). 

6:00 AM

Our midwife, Ginger, came and I continued to work through some contractions. She said I was doing a great job of relaxing and letting them do their job. We talked idly through the hour, in between contractions, with her checking the baby’s heart rate now and then. She was always doing great and was clearly low in my pelvic bones and had great positioning. She would say, “textbook” just like during our prenatal visits.

7:00 AM

I decided it’s time to get in the bath. The TENS wasn’t helping much anymore and neither was moving, so I decided I’d try the ‘aqua-dural’. Before I got in, Ginger checked me. This was the first time (ever) she’d checked me because in the weeks leading up to my due date, I didn’t want to know how I was (or wasn't) progressing, I think it would have discouraged me if things were progressing but I wasn’t going into labor, or if things weren’t progressing at all. So when she checked me she said I was over 9cm and she could feel a bulgy bag. I got in the tub. Oh my, it felt good. My contractions weren’t less intense but somehow the water kept the discomfort in my uterus and it didn’t spread throughout the rest of my body. I still had to concentrate through them, but it wasn’t as much effort.

I wasn’t sure what to expect next. I had a few contractions and then what seemed like a bit of a lull. I was sitting back, reclined like you normally would in a tub. I wondered if I should change positions but it was pretty comfy to stay how I was and I thought I could always change later. Ginger said she could break my water, or I could take my time – we were in no hurry. I figured I’d just take my time. She’d come in now and then, and I think check the baby’s heart rate. I told Blake when it was just the two of us, “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do now… when do I push?” He didn't know either (of course) so I asked Ginger. She said to just listen to my body and eventually I’d feel the urge to push, like I needed to have a bowel movement.

And it begins...

7:30-ish AM

Eventually I felt what she was talking about and started pushing. Kind of gently at first, I was afraid to put my feet against the tub and really push because it just didn’t seem necessary yet. I pushed a few times and it was a lot of pressure but not really any more uncomfortable/painful than the other contractions. I kept waiting to feel the head and all that ring of fire stuff. I was wishing I’d gotten into a squatting position but I couldn’t imagine how I would move my body at this point. I didn’t think my legs would work, so I stayed how I was. At one point I saw Ginger reach down and pick up something long and brownish. I thought maybe it was part of the sack but it also crossed my mind that it was something else.. something about the way she looked as she scooped it out. Before I could think too much I was pushing again, and starting to get somewhere, I could feel some progression, but I couldn’t picture what was going on down there.. it didn’t feel like I’d expected but then I didn’t really know what to expect. After a few more pushes things were going somewhere and it was intense enough I had to really concentrate and close my eyes. After one contraction, Ginger leans in and says to us, “I want you to know, your baby is coming breech.”

. . .  Um . . . What? In my head I thought. "Well that’s like a get out of jail free card, right? We don’t do breech births at home so we must have to do something else…” (it was just the pain talking). I was also a little in shock. I had prepared mentally for things to not go exactly how I thought they would.. but I hadn't considered this possibility. I had a textbook pregnancy, didn't baby girl know? She wasn't supposed to flip at the last minute! I jokingly said out loud, “So can you pull her out by her feet then?” Knowing full well that you can’t do that. I also asked, “So what do I do?” because as far as I knew.. you weren't supposed to deliver breech at home. She said we just had to keep doing what I was doing, it would be fine, I could do this. Huh, I thought.. okay then. She told me to reach down and feel her bottom. HER BOTTOM. Sure enough, there was a little tushy. It turns out the stuff she’d picked up before was a long bit of her poop (the first of many)!

So onward I pushed, having no idea what was coming. It got really hard after that. I’m fairly certain pushing is hard anyway but in comparison to how it had been, it was getting harder and I could barely think in between pushes. I could feel her progressing and I tried to keep the pressure on her in between contractions so she wouldn't backtrack. Ginger listened to her heart rate and said to keep pushing. And push I did. It seemed like there was no break between contractions, although I’m sure there was, and it took all of my energy to breathe and push. I had been drinking a lot of water before pushing and now with every push it was coming back up and choking me. So breathing was kind of a struggle. Blake was AMAZING through all of this. Holding my hand so I could squeeze it to death, encouraging me and talking me through things. I think I was crying because, well, it hurt and he was crying from watching me struggle. As the searing pain got worse I forced myself to continue to inflict this crazy pain on myself. At some point Ginger listened to her heart rate and said in the most firm but encouraging voice, “You've got to get this baby out, NOW”. I pushed harder, and pushed and pushed knowing that my ever increasing pain was irrelevant, I had to get her out. When that contraction was over I tried to catch my breath and regroup but Ginger said something like, “keep pushing, push! You have to get this baby out.” I was doing all I could, there wasn’t any more I could give. “I can’t do it” I said, wanting to wait until the next contraction could help me. “You have to do it, you can do it. Push now!” she said. And so I did, I knew I had to. I pushed on empty, with all I had and all I didn't have, just knowing that with every ounce of energy I was causing some damage to my body and the worst pain I could imagine, but I had to. In the background I could hear Blake praying for me and in my head all I could think was, “keep pushing, flex those muscles, oh the pain”.

That is Ginger's arm, don't worry. It's just so crazy to see little feet hanging out!

At this point her body was mostly out. Ginger had wiggled her feet loose and now I was working to get her arms/shoulders and head out. I guess her arms were stuck up by her head and she wasn't progressing. Ginger said firmly, “stand up!” and somehow I did. I knew it was practically life or death and I didn't even think, I just did it. I don’t know how. Ginger had to get her hands in and carefully help free her elbows and she said we needed gravity in our favor (I found this out later, at the time I just knew it hurt and was focused on getting my girl out). I hardly remember what happened next, crazy pain and some pushing and then bam, baby in her arms.

[No pictures yet, they were busy getting to work!]

8:05 AM

She’s out! She was still so blue. I had to look between my legs and behind me to see because the cord was still attached and Ginger had picked her up and was working on her behind me. “She has a strong heart beat. Bulb syringe. Bag mask” she said. Suck, suck, puff, puff. Come on baby. We were all praying for that cry, sigh, whimper - any sign that she was coming along. I wasn’t really scared though. I knew that God was in control and I trusted Him, no matter the outcome. I knew He had a plan. It’s hard to explain except to say that in my heart there was peace and not fear. But I still prayed and prayed.

8:06 AM

Gasp. 

She gasped! A little more help and she opened an eye. A little more and she cried. Heavy sigh of relief. Pretty quickly she got some color and cried some more. Prayers of thanks. Blake got to cut the cord and hold her while I delivered the placenta, which came out pretty easily and quickly. I got out of the tub eventually and made my way to the bed while Blake got in some snuggles. A few minutes later, she was in my arms and on my chest and at my breast and all was right with the world.

After she'd gotten some color back

Getting those legs straightened out.

Daddy cutting the cord

Holding his little girl

Happy Father's Day dad!

Meeting my Sweet P

The pressure of coming out full breech (bottom first, folded in half) made her feet snap up to her head.
It took a little while for them to relax.

Our happy family

In love already

Seven pounds even - reading the scale

The rest of the scale

Getting measured - 20.25 inches!

Daddy putting on their first diaper

We don't think we like this.

Getting dressed

Happy daddy

Proud daddy

Meeting Grandma

Meeting Grandpa

Reflection:

People have asked me, would I do it again? Yes. In a heartbeat. Both at home, and breech if I had to. Of course, if we’d known she was breech, we would have gone to the hospital, but I’d still try to deliver vaginally rather than have a c-section. Our home birth was everything I wanted, even with the unexpected ending. I loved being able to labor in my own halls and alone with my husband for as long as we did. 

We aren't really sure when she turned breech, she was always in such a good, head-down position. She was very wiggly throughout labor, and even as I got in the tub. Ginger thinks maybe when she measured me it was actually her bottom and not a bulgy sack, but we aren’t really sure. If it hadn't been the first time I’d had her measure me then maybe she'd have noticed something different. I guess that was the drawback to not being measured. We see it as a blessing really. If our midwife, at any point before actual pushing, had known she was breech we’d have gone to the hospital and their policy is all first time moms get a cesarean with breech babies. As Ginger said, babies come out. It was okay. Again, if we’d known, we’d have done the safer thing and gone in, but I’m glad we didn't know and that we could still have a natural delivery at home. God was watching over us - both in letting us deliver without medical interventions and in giving me the strength to get her out when I did. 

We also felt so blessed that we had such a great midwife. I have no doubt that her experience, skill and confident nature made all the difference in bringing our little girl safely into the world. We are so thankful that we were under her care. 

What an emotional morning! I can't say enough about how supportive my husband was/is. There is no way I could have gone through that without him. He was just incredible. We've never been as emotional as we were that morning. As I got into the tub he looked at me with watery eyes and said, "I'm pretty sure I'll cry." Me too sweetie. As close as we were before - pregnancy, delivery and parenthood has strengthened our bond and I still can't begin to describe how much I love him, and feel loved by him. I'm so thankful for that man!

I can't get enough of her sweet face!

Snoozing with daddy

Snoozing on mommy

Pumpkin: Week 39

June 8th - June 14th
As I write this it is actually our due date today! I'm not sure how I'd have done these any differently, but it has always been a bit confusing that I take the 'weekly picture' on the day I change weeks, but then write the post after the week has past (since I'm bad a predicting the future). However, then my picture seems a week old. And it's confusing that maybe the week before you change is actually the week to report about.. as in the week leading up to it was (in this case) my 39th week and I just finished it.. so really I'm writing about my 40th week? See.. it's confusing. Anyway.. however it should be, this is how I've done it. Change weeks and take picture, wait for the week to be over and write about what I/we experienced. Now that we've cleared that up ;).

How I Look
I feel like I still look the same, but continue to get compliments about how I look great for 39 weeks and that people wouldn't have guessed I was that far along. Thank you random strangers for your kind words!

How I Feel
Good. A little too good, if you know what I mean.

What I Feel
I'm pretty much feeling the same old things. Some increase in cramps, still plenty of BH contractions and a couple of episodes at night of, 'hmm that contraction was a little different' but nothing came of it. Same sore hips and pelvic bones and my feet get tired easily. Our little sweet P is SO wiggly this week! We try to tell her she might enjoy all the space out here, but she doesn't believe us, I guess. She still gets the hiccups frequently, but not quite as often as last week. Her head is much lower, so now when she gets them it's even more noticeable and a little personal.

What We're Doing
Just patiently waiting. I feel like I can say 'patiently' because this week we've just been going through our typical weekly routine, not actually expecting her to come (where as I think last week we kept thinking that 'maybe' tonight/today was it). We understand she'll come when she comes and that she just must not be ready yet.

I've been home this week and have been enjoying the time to be a stay-at-home-wife before I turn into a stay-at-home-mom. I'm mostly taking it easy, but also doing a little 'nesting' to feel productive.. just without the pressure to really be productive. I try to get one thing done from my 'organization/project' list and one or more things done from the household chore list. I'm trying to keep things tidy so that it isn't as hard for other people to help maintain when I'm recovering. My organization/projects have mostly been cleaning out closets, organizing cupboards, sweeping the garage etc. OH! And I finished the footstool for the nursery! I'll have to get some pictures up of that project! Like I said though, not a lot of pressure to do much, just getting some 'nice to have done' things off the to do list, now that all the 'must have done' things are finished.

Babymoon

We wanted to have one last weekend getaway before the baby came, but we didn't want to go too far.. in case the baby came. We decided to take advantage of Memorial Day weekend, which was also when I hit 37 weeks.

At first we thought we'd go to Walla Walla because it was only an hour from home. Then we thought... what would we do in Walla Walla for two days/nights. So then we looked into a B&B in Leavenworth... but then we thought.. what will we do in Leavenworth for two days/nights.. we could only think of about a days worth of shopping etc (and lots of hiking... but that's not exactly the best activity for someone 8+ months pregnant). So then we decided on Spokane. Still close enough to get home if needed but diverse enough to keep us entertained for the weekend.

We went up on Saturday and came home Monday. Before we left on Saturday I set up the tripod and coerced Blake into taking some pictures :). The wind kicked up right as we started, so I didn't get very many acceptable ones (that and there's only so much you can do with a remote and/or timer).

After pictures we loaded up the car and headed northeast. As soon as we pulled into the hotel parking lot it occurred to me that I didn't remember seeing the bathroom bag (a small duffle bag with our toiletries and usually an extra pair of shoes) in the car.  I asked Blake if he'd put it in and he confirmed that no.. we forgot it! So that put a new spin on the weekend! We checked in and then headed to the store to buy some bare minimum necessities to get us through the weekend. We were able to laugh about it, really. It was funny to me that this was the last time we'd be able to get away with packing so light.

Blake and I have some memories in Spokane from the occasional visits he made when I lived there for grad school. We revisited restaurants (Elk Public House, Twigs on the South Hill - where Blake took me for my birthday one year), went to a movie, walked around the park and did some shopping. We also decided to go out to to Couer d'Alene, Idaho and do some shopping, eating and wandering around. We really enjoyed the little shops and a nice sized antique store as we meandered through their little downtown area. Essentially, it was similar to what we would have done in Walla Walla or Leavenworth, but we still had Spokane to fill the rest of our time, since that only took an afternoon. We enjoyed ourselves though anyway and were glad we went for the day.

I only took one picture the entire time we were in Spokane (minimal toiletries doesn't make for very good subjects in pictures) ;). I was resting on a bench during our walk through Coeur d'Alene and thought this bike was cool, so I snapped a shot with my phone. :)

So there you have it - our babymoon. A little different than we expected but still a sweet weekend away together. We enjoy each others' company no matter where we are, but it was fun to revisit some of those places that we went when we were single. I can only imagine how different our next weekend in Spokane will be!

Afternoon Tea

My neighborhood and Bible study ladies threw a shower for Pumpkin and me last weekend. It was an absolutely perfect afternoon filled with fellowship, encouragement and wisdom. The shower was tea party themed and so fun! The pictures really do it justice (for once) and I'll let them do the talking.

Enjoying our {iced} tea, tea sandwiches, scones, thumbprint cookies, lemon curd, etc.

The girls enjoying the afternoon too

Before we all sat down

It was just so pretty!

Everything was SO delicious!

I love hydrangeas!

Pumpkin and I felt so blessed and encouraged by these women. It truly was a perfect afternoon.

Pumpkin: Week 38

June 1st - 7th.
That's right.. one week at a time now!

How I Look
Still seems the same to me and thankfully, no new stretch marks this week. I think I'm staying a little swollen all the time now, but not so bad that my shoes don't fit, they're just tight.

How I Feel
I still feel pretty good. Still achy and sore by the end of the day. Some nights I sleep great, other nights I'm restless and can't get comfortable. I have a cold too, which doesn't help with sleeping.

What I Feel
I am feeling a little more pressure on my pelvic bones this week! It isn't comfortable, but it's a good sign so I'll take it! My BH contractions are a little different but still pretty frequent and only part of my uterus. Usually the right side, we figure because her back/bum push against that side the most. Sometimes it knots up so much that my right side is two inches higher than than the left side. We joke that during labor the left side of my uterus is going to wimp out because it hasn't been getting as much practice as my right side always gets. I'm also really crampy throughout the day and increasingly at night. Emotionally, I'm continuing to realize that this is kind of a calm before the storm (a good storm) and I'm enjoying the beauty of being pregnant and what an incredible thing is happening in my body. We assume I'll be pregnant again, but you never know and I'm glad I'm feeling well enough to savor the last days/weeks of this special time. Don't get me wrong, I'm ready to meet this little one and to have my body back, but not in such a hurry as I might have been before.

What We're Doing
Just hanging and waiting. Blake is still very attentive and watches me carefully. Every morning and a few times in the evening Blake has a conversations with Pumpkin that he'd like to have a turn holding her and that it's a good time to be born. We're doing what we can to tell her we're ready, just waiting for her to decide she's ready too. I'd like to say that we have nice dinners staring into each others' eyes and holding hands, just soaking up our time together before our world is turned upside down... but really we just talk about Pumpkin and share our excitement about meeting her. And we do everyday things like the dishes, laundry and yard work. We are more patient with each other and it sort of feels like we're back in our honeymoon period, so it's not to say that it isn't a sweet time between us, but we're both pretty focused on this little girl :).

Limbo

Is limbo the right word for it? I don't know. It sort of feels like limbo.

I'm about to have a baby, any week now. It's this funny place of kind of being a momma but not at all a momma yet. I'm as ready as you can be.. but I'm also wholly unaware of how my life is about to be turned upside down.

Sometimes I think, oh my goodness.. what did we do!? I'm not old enough for this! We aren't ready! And then I realize that I'm almost 30 and yes, yes we really are old enough for this and we're as ready as we'll ever be.

It's just so surreal to think that at any moment we'll go from our happy couple to a happy family of three. Surreal but exciting. And so we wait!

Pumpkin: Weeks 36 & 37

May 18th - May 31st

How I Look
The same? Oh, except the stretch marks that keep multiplying on my hips/thighs. Stretch marks are so weird. My skin hasn't been itchy at all and I haven't gained a ton of weight at once, so I'm not sure what caused them to explode all of a sudden (it's not that bad... but they definitely multiplied this week). Oh well! I will say that this week I've had the opposite comments of those that I usually get. The people I work with keep telling me how big I am, but this last week I've had several people (outside of work) tell me they wouldn't have guessed that I was 37 weeks.. and they were strangers, so I'll believe they weren't just saying it to be nice. It never ceases to make me laugh at how opposite people's perspectives can be. From my perspective.. I really feel like I look about the same.

How I Feel
Still feeling pretty good! Achy and a little tired but overall good! I swell up a little more easily, especially in the heat. My feet hurt when I stand for too long and can get pretty puffy pretty quickly. Emotionally, I'm feeling pretty good. I'm feeling like we're ready for the unknown challenges of a newborn (you know, as ready as you can really be), but also feeling like if I have to wait until the end of June I can do that too (not that I want to, but if I have to I'm at peace with it). There was a week not too long ago (32-33 I think) that I wasn't sure I could go any longer, but it is easier the better I feel and as time gets shorter. There is an end in sight!

What I Feel
Again, mostly the same: braxton hicks, wiggling and her hiccups (at least twice a day now)! I sure hope she doesn't get the hiccups as often after birth as she does now, poor thing! I still don't think that she's dropped. I don't seem to be going to the bathroom any more than I did before and I don't really have any more pressure going on down there. 

What We're Doing
Waiting! Excitedly and patiently waiting! I'm/we're doing some things that are supposed to help get things going/prepare my body, including drinking the prep tea that my midwife gave me (thankfully it's delicious), which is supposed to help get my uterus etc toned and ready. We have our birth kit from our midwife and the supplies we needed to pick up. The bathtub is cleaned and ready to go still and the final touches have been put on the nursery. We're taking advantage of any time we can sleep in and just enjoying the quiet evenings together. We've also been doing a ton of yard work... so many weeds.. while the weather is cooler still (and by 'we'.. I mean Blake is doing a ton and I'm helping as much as I can).

We have weekly appointments with our midwife now and our 37 week appointment on Monday she said that she guesses baby weight by small, medium and large; large being anything over 9 lbs. She said she's guessing we'll have a medium baby. I'm still measuring right on track, one cm for every week (so this week my uterus was 37 cm) and we'll find out at our next appt if I need to worry about group B strep or not. She said that Pumpkin is in a great position, but not any lower ;). Can't wait to hear her say that things are looking like they're progressing.. but so far there are no signs of baby coming just yet. I'm also not having her check me for effacement or dilation because I feel like that will just set me up to be disappointed if she doesn't come even though I'm effaced or beginning to dilate (which is pretty common). I'd rather just not know and be surprised when things start to happen :).

We also went on our babymoon last weekend (Memorial Day Weekend). We decided to go to Spokane, figuring it was close enough to make it home if something started happening (since we were officially 37 weeks on the 25th). We have some good memories of Spokane and thought it would be fun to revisit some of those places. We also spent a day in Coeur d'Alene and enjoyed the little shops and eateries there. It was perfect weather and overall, a very relaxing trip. I didn't, however, take any pictures! We sort of forgot to bring the little duffel bag with all of our bathroom supplies in it. So we were kind of roughing it. We got a few necessities from the store but I didn't buy all new make up or hair stuff, so I wasn't feeling exactly picture worthy ;). We joke that it's the lightest we'll be able to travel for quite some time, and the last time we can forget entire bags and get away with it. We did take a few pictures before we left and I'll post those later (because I still haven't done anything with them except put them on my computer and upload one to Facebook).

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Pumpkin: Weeks 34 & 35

May 4th - May 17th

How I Look

All I can say is... oof-ta. I'm so ready to have my body back (even in a slightly different condition than when I started). I have had the joy of finding stretch marks this week.. on my hips at least (because somehow that makes it better?). Oddly enough, I still don't look down at my belly and think.. man I'm huge.. but I do keep getting that comment from other people! It's all part of the joys of pregnancy and I just try to keep rolling with it.. knowing that in a few weeks I'll look back and think how I wasn't so big yet after all ;). 

How I Feel
Thankfully, I've felt much better these weeks. A little tired now and then, and sometimes a little sappy. I had a little panic the other day thinking.. 'what if the ultrasound was wrong.. what if Pumpkin is a boy!? We have so many pink clothes!' But, Blake assured me that the ultrasound tech looked at the money shot from every angle possible and from each angle it was pretty clearly 'girl'.

What I Feel
Still plenty of wiggling from our Sweet P, and still lots of BHs but just normal, erratic and semi-constant tightness. Oh, and she gets the hiccups at least once a day and usually when I'm trying to fall asleep at night. I'm experiencing some other less appealing pregnancy issues.. but nothing that needs to be said here ;). My hips seem to hurt if I stay in one position for too long, but I still manage to sleep for 3-5 hours straight before needing to move or visit the bathroom. Some nights I'm awake every hour, and other nights I sleep straight through (which is a little rough on the bladder!). I'm trying to just appreciate every bit of sleep I get!

What We're Doing
Blake would say I'm obsessing.. I might call it some form of nesting. I'm trying to get some of the final touches finished up on our 'necessities' list and mostly that involves deciding what those necessities are. There are plenty of wants left on our registries but some needs too. We have one shower left (a week before I'm due) so I'm holding off on completing the registry until after that, but I think that there are a few items that I'll use gift cards on soon because it will give me peace of mind to know that if she came early, we'd have all we 'needed'. Things like sheets for the co-sleeper and a diaper pail somehow make me feel more prepared. Oh, and an infant car seat ;). I did obsess about that for awhile. I really went back and forth about getting the infant carrier style-car seat. We'd been given a 5-70 lb convertible car seat by Blake's mom, but the infant car seat was out of stock for awhile and then I wondered if we really needed it since we had one that would work and lots of babywearing carriers. Ultimately, with plenty of deliberation, we decided to order it while it was back in stock and 25% off.

We are also getting so darn excited to meet this little wiggle worm! We're planning our last pre-kids weekend getaway (a.k.a. our babymoon) that is a few weeks away, and having lots of discussions about how different life will be very soon. We're so ready to meet our little girl but we're also trying to enjoy the time together while she finishes growing.

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Pumpkin: Weeks 32 & 33

April 20th - May 3rd

How I Look
I am fully in that beached whale stage and feeling every bit full of blubber. It's funny how differently women carry their babies. I get a lot of comments on how big my belly is or how far it sticks out. My favorite is when people suggest I have a basketball in there. I'm not offended, but I am starting to get a little more plump in areas other than my belly. I suppose if people realized, most of them wouldn't discuss my size but really it's most noticeable on my hips and my jeans do a decent job of hiding it.

How I Feel
Tired and impatient! These weeks have been hard and so many times I said or thought to myself, "I'm ready to be done"... which isn't good because I'm not actually done yet! I don't sleep as well at night between the BH contractions, my loosey-goosey sore hips and sometimes my bladder. I am just not able to fall back asleep as easily, which is the real change, and I have really weird dreams that make me feel less rested and kind of mentally drained when I wake up. Weird dreams that usually have some obsessive component relating to diapers or cleaning or trying to find something. I certainly have good days and bad days, and this last week most were fairly rough, but I'm sure a few good days are around the corner. Today hasn't been too bad actually.

What I Feel
Same old, same old. BH contractions all. the. time. Sometimes to the point of tweaking my back, which is really what makes them hurt instead of just being annoying, and then it's hard to breath during them too. Still within the range of normal but definitely makes me ready to just move on to labor and get all the contracting over with. If only I didn't still have 6-8 weeks left to go! I also still feel our little girl movin' and a groovin' in there. She's stays pretty active lately, despite all the tightness around her. I try to take the time to enjoy her moving around because I have a feeling I'll miss it when she's out (even though of course, even better.. she'll be in my arms)!

What We're Doing
I finally finished decorating Pumpkin's corner and continue to get things organized and washed/put away. I'm still working on the footstool for the glider, but I think I might be working on that still when I'm in labor ;) it's fairly slow going. We're also still working our way through some birthing books and getting so excited for this little one to be here. Still trying to be patient and enjoy our time together before Sweet P joins us though. Which reminds me, we are 99.9% decided on her name, but sorry, it doesn't start with a P. She'll always be our Sweet P, but someday soon she'll have a real name too!

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The Nursery

Clever title, don't you think? I'm out of creativity apparently ;). While I'm still working on the footstool for this little space, I thought I'd post some pictures of the rest of the finished 'nursery'. It is really just the other half of our master bedroom but I'm loving this little baby dedicated sanctuary/corner of our room.

We only use the right door, so the bassinet is in front of the other one and that's probably where the crib will go when we're ready for it, if for some reason we don't end up doing the side-car thing. The bassinet is a family heirloom of sorts.. it is what my mom used for us and my aunt used for my cousins and my cousins used for their kid. We also have a co-sleeper that goes next to our bed, which will be awesome for nigh time breastfeeding, but it's fun to have the bassinet as well.

We don't have the changing pad yet, but eventually it will go on top of the dresser in the corner and those baskets will be filled with prepped cloth diapers. I think we'll add some shelves too, so the animal assortment has a place to live.

This was a fun project, although I probably should have started/finished it before I was 8 months pregnant. I can't say that climbing up and down from the stool repeatedly was the best idea, but it's done now anyway. I won't say how many times I had to move things around, but I will say I was able to use some of the pre-existing holes in the wall!

This canvas print was more work than I anticipated, but I am happy with how it turned out. Cutting out the stencil for the words was the most tedious part! It's hard to tell here, but the white letters are wooden and raised. I looked at lots of subway art to buy for this space, but none of them really said what I wanted to say to our daughter like this verse does.

A little action shot.

This print is special to us because we bought it in Israel while we were there and about 7 weeks along. We loved idea behind it and when we saw the Noah's Ark print we thought it would be great in a nursery eventually. It is the Bible story of Noah's Ark from Genesis written out in Hebrew!

 Isn't it crazy! I can't imagine reading it, even if I could read Hebrew.

The Glider. There is a nice long story about this glider, which you can read about here. Long story short, I couldn't find what I wanted for the price I wanted so we created our own thanks to the help of my brother. I'm still working on the footstool, which will help hide the black ring you can see here. It is a great fit and comfy. If you put the pillow up higher it easily supports your head and some dozing could happen.

Now all we need is a little sweet baby girl to start using all this stuff! (okay, we need a few more little things too.. but at least we have the essentials!)