The Arrival of Gardner Preston Wilson....
My Birth Story
My due date was Friday, September 24th. The last 2-3 prenatal checkups I had showed no progression toward labor to speak of….I had not dilated any, and I was about 60% effaced at my last check-up. The baby had dropped halfway down, to -2 station. I had become increasingly uncomfortable due to the more frequent bathroom trips, lack of quality sleep, heartburn, and backaches.
On Sunday the 19th, I noticed that the type of backache I had been dealing with gradually changed. We ate lunch with my parents, and while there, it became very uncomfortable to sit in any one chair for longer than a few minutes at a time. I tried leaning and lying down as well, and nothing would help the pain subside. It was high in my back, near my kidneys, so I thought nothing of it.
I stayed home from church Sunday night since I was unable to sit up for more than a few minutes at a time. We borrowed some heating pads from a neighbor and ...
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Gardner Preston Wilson is here!!
He arrived Tuesday morning at 11:52 am....weighed in at 6 lbs. 15 oz. and was 19-1/2 inches long. He has lots of brownish-auburnish hair, and long fingers and toes!! We can't decide exactly who he looks more like. I hold that he definately looks like Ken when he's sleeping. :0)
I ended up having an "emergency" c-section due to placenta and cord problems causing him to have a decelerated heart rate. A scary time for a while, but after I heard his cry and saw his little face, it didn't matter anymore. :0) He is the most precious little baby boy in the world!
We arrived home yesterday and we've already got him on a good schedule...in fact, I was able to sleep a total of 6-1/2 hours last night (good, I think!). We are having so much fun just hanging out with him, dressing him, talking to him, singing to him, and even watching Clemson football with him on TV. :0)
Ken will be arranging an assortment of photos of ...
Well, it is 2:30 in the morning and I am up and awake! I am having what (I guess) are real contractions....regularly patterned tightening with pain. My back has been hurting constantly since Sunday morning. Now that pain intensifies with each contraction, and after about a minute of that, the tenseness radiates around to my abdomen...Ken even felt it move around...and my belly gets really hard all over. They are lasting about 1-1/2 minutes and are about 4-5 minutes apart.
I called Dr. Nordeen, who is on call tonight, at about 10:00. He said that with first-time moms, there's no need to rush to the hospital until they're about 3 minutes apart. I can still talk okay through them, although my breath is noticeably shallow. I have tried every position possible, and no relief is found....so there went my first theory that they were just Braxton-Hicks (which get better with physical movement).
I am about to head to the bathroom to draw a warm bath.....hopefully it wil...
Four more days....barely a breath left! I cannot believe this may be the final week that is it just the two of us in this family. I have been having excruciating back pain this weekend, mainly yesterday and today. I have no idea what it might be. It could be anything from the simple weight of the baby pulling me forward and straining my back.... Or it could be him pressing on a nerve.... Or it could be (as my ever-referenced books say) true pre-labor backaches, which are often constant instead of coming in waves like contractions do. I don't know, all I do know is that it HURTS. I am safely able to use a heating pad for 15 minutes per hour, so I have tried that to relieve it some.
I don't want this to become a complaint log, but it is hard to think about anything else when you're in pain but the sleep you're losing, the appetite that's fading, and the unachievable desire just to find a comfortable way to sit or lay down!! I am so ready to get this show ...
Well, early morning happenings sent me to the doctor's office a day early for an unexpected checkup. I woke up at 2 am and was convinced I was seeing the beginning of my water breaking. I was up till 5, reading, researching, being frantic! I finally settled back down and slept till 7. Ken convinced me to go ahead and call the doctor, and by 8:30, we were on our way to be checked. (By this point, by the way, I was telling Ken, "But I think I'm okay! I think I'm just overreacting." Ken had to prod and push me to go by the end of it all.)
I saw Dr. Nordeen today; he was the only one there at that time. The verdict? Well, as you can tell by the fact that I"m posting a blog right now, it was a false alarm. Without going into too much medical detail, what I thought was my water breaking is just the routine happenings of late pregnancy....who would've thought that my body would STILL be going through such definite changes at this point. The pains I...
Well, this baby is definitely on his merry way! I have been going through so many changes since last time I posted a blog.....I mean, wow. We're on the fast track now. I have been having more pain since this weekend....more bathroom trips (a LOT more), and a lot of pain and heaviness/pressure in my upper thighs and hips. I only hope this means he'll be here that much sooner....I don't know. I am scrambling around thumbing through my books, emailing friends, and researching on the web to uncover more clues as to whether I'm feeling the beginnings of the real thing or not.
This makes me excited, but kind of freaks me out a little bit because I haven't finished a few little last-minute things yet. Ken and I plan to switch vehicles tonight (we're both reluctant to give up our cars!), putting the carseat in and the little baby-view mirror. I have to finish the "call list," the phone chain we're planning so everyone will be notified once I...
Checkup today....not much progress to tell of, though! :0( The baby is at -2 station, which means he hasn't dropped into the pelvis yet. I am now 60% effaced (or so), but still not dilated at all. The achiness and pains I've been feeling (and extreme lethargy) is normal, Dr. Duniho said, for this late in a pregnancy. Plus, he said there's an illness going around right now that is just causing general aches and pains with no specific symptoms....just a general "don't feel good" kind of thing.
But on the bright side, the baby's heartbeat is strong, his movements are strong, and my measurements are still on target. There are still so many things to be thankful for!
Weight gain to date is 26 lbs.....which I think it a tremendous amount, simply because I've never weighed this much in my whole life. But really, people keep telling me that's really, really good, and it's still under the prescribed weight gain I was given at the beginni...
It was a weekend of "firsts" (sort of) for our little Oliver.....
One, his first Clemson game was Saturday. No, we did not physically attend the game, nor was he actually out to be able to know there was even a Clemson game going on. All he had to go on was the muffled sounds of our TV broadcasting the duel with the Demon Deacons....and the occasionall "Go, tigers!" that I might have yelled outloud. But I insisted to Ken that it was his first Clemson game, and that was that. :0)
Two, last night was his first fireworks show. There was something called "Celebrate Anderson"... and there was a spectacular fireworks display at the Civic Center, a mere mile or two from our house. Ken and I stood outside in our street and watched it all from here. Ken kept his hands on my belly and said Oliver was kicking and squirming a lot. Who knows whether he loved or hated the loudness....I guess we'll find out next year!
Ken and I just layed around on the f...
Having a fun weekend so far!! We've been able to hang out with many of our best friends the past two nights....which is great, considering once the baby's born we will most likely feel tied to our house for a little while, detatched from everyone! Everyone is asking how many days I have left (19, to be exact!), and thus the pregnancy talk starts. I have gotten so much comforting and useful advice from so many new moms. It is really nice to know that everything I will be going through shortly (and am now) is not unfamiliar to many of my friends.
Some friends let us borrow a video monitor.....so now we have it plugged up and in "nighttime" mode. It is so cool that we can look at the little monitor in our bedroom now and see how the little guy is laying and what he's up to. Just more peace of mind for a mom who's going to be jumping at every little sound and movement for a while.... :0)
Meg
The doctor's appointment yesterday showed that I have not begun to dilate, but I have effaced from 10% to 50% in the past 2 weeks. So that's progress! The back pains I've been having are just mild contractions (Braxton-Hicks), and they are to be expected at this time. Just something I will have to deal with until the "real" thing arrives....
We went to Greensboro for the day yesterday and ended up leaving so late Ken was too tired to stay awake! (and I was too tired to stay awake to keep HIM awake!) So we did something crazy and got a hotel for the night. I think I had some people nervous that I was going to go into labor while we were up there, away from all my doctors and everything. But it was all ok! One of life's little adventures that we can laugh about in the years to come.... We're not home safe and sound, and I do believe that I'll follow my instincts and stick close to Anderson for the duration of this home stretch.
On our way ...
We spent a fun weekend with the Matthis's, friends of our family for years! Christy and I had a blast, as usual. She is telling me she wants to come back down from Greensboro once I go into labor, especially if it's on a weekend. I'll try to aim for that, but of course, I can't promise anything! :0) They brought us a baby bathtub full of cute and useful gifts. We are close to having all that we will need for this baby! :0) Such wonderful, generous friends we have.....we are so blessed.
My back has been hurting on and off all weekend....still hurts today. I can't tell what kind of pain it is.... And I am starting to see subtle signs that I'm swelling just a little bit, especially in the morning and late at night. My wedding rings are just a tad tight, but as the day gets started, my fingers return to normal. My feet haven't really puffed up, thank goodness.
Another thing, I just feel different. I can't put my finger on it. I don...
36 week checkup today....everything is still going smoothly. Baby is doing what he's supposed to and staying head-down! He said that my feeling him move a little less often is due to the fact that he's just running out of room; his movements are limited to more rolling than jabbing now, so it's not always as easy to detect. I measure 35 centimeters, which is still in the range for where I am supposed to be. Dr. Duniho approximated his weight to be about 5-1/2 lbs. He also assured me that he feels that c-sections are not to be performed unless absolutely necessary....he said that in my case, the baby's size would not be an issue. He feels sure that the baby would be well under 8 lbs. when he is born, judging from the growth patterns so far. That really set my mind at ease. One less thing to worry about!
I have been getting the craziest baby comments from total strangers the past 2 weeks or so....some of them are worth sharing just for laughs! I can't tell...
The belly button's out.....does that mean the baby's "done?" :0) I get more comments about how my belly button protrudes so much. I will be 36 weeks on Friday, and I really can't believe it. No more Braxton-Hicks to speak of this week....not even during exercise. Guess I'm drinking lots of water like I was told to. :0)
We had our New Spring shower on Sunday afternoon. We received several really thoughtful and useful gifts. Ken and I set up the high chair we received....it only took him about 30 minutes, the little power tool-maestro that he is. It is now sitting proudly in our dining room, in anticipation of being filled (and having creamed peas smeared all over it, too).
The weather is back and forth between cloudy and cool and hot and sunny. I can see fall coming, though......pretty soon it will be time to start baking gingerbread (my favorite autumn treat). I look forward to long walks in the mornings with our little baby, strolling under t...
35th week doctor's appointment today. Finally was able to see Dr. Herring again. She is expecting her 3rd child, so she is right there in the same boat with many of her patients....it makes it easier to get sympathy about certain things! She said I measured where I should at this point.....and I have gained 2 lbs. since my last appointment 2 weeks ago. From this point on, I will be visiting them more often.....every single week. I can't believe I'm already to this point! It used to seem like eons away.
I told her about some mild contractions I had last weekend, and she was not visibly concerned; she said that sometimes Braxton-Hicks can be mildly painful....it is just my body's way of getting prepared for true labor. She said I will be able to tell true contractions from these in that true labor contractions move from back to front, become more regular in pattern, and are not relieved by measures such as drinking more water or lying down. The best news of t...
I am so ready for the baby to get here!!!
The nursery will be ready by the end of this week, and I have one last baby shower this coming Sunday. Pretty soon everything will be in place, and all we'll have left to do is wait!
I have been having dull cramping since Friday, off and on, and so I've been taking extra precautions to "take it easy." They seem to ease up a bit when I drink water and slow down. They haven't been unbearably painful, so I haven't felt compelled to call my doctors. But I will be mentioning it at this Friday morning's appointment. I have no idea whether it is a normal part of the process or something to be concerned about. Considering I'll be "full term" in 2 more weeks alone, they may not be that worried about it. We'll see.
I have been giving thought to birth announcements some this week. I plan to have them made and ready to fill in so that will be less to think about once he's here. I have been g...
The nursery is almost completely finished and ready for lil' Oliver! The crib arrived Monday, and Ken and Jason went to get it during a lunch break. Ken and I put it together Monday night, burning the midnight oil. Ken and his dad built shelves for the closet that same night, and added a hook inside the closet on which to hang the stroller. The room-size rug arrived yesterday, and after an hour of tugging and smoothing, it is now carpeting the room and adding a ton more softness. It really does look and feel like a precious nursery now.
I can't believe that the baby is only about six weeks away from being born. It has seemed like eternity for so long, and now time seems to be flying by at light speed. I am well caught up on things that need to be done before he arrives; about the only big pressing matter is getting my and his bags packed. I have the list and the bags; I just have to take the time to assemble all of the necessities and fill them, ready to go when th...
Met another doctor today, Dr. Duniho. We were really, really impressed with his bedside manner and his personality overall. I think I would be in very good hands if he happened to be on call on delivery day. I have been blessed with wonderful doctors....I believe God led me to them, just as He led me to the pediatrician we decided upon. Asking God to lead in all of these decisions is the best thing we could do for our baby.
I was nervous about this appointment for some reason; I have not been nervous about any previous ones at all. I finally realized it was the evil one coming in to tempt me to get discouraged and afraid as I near the end of my pregnancy. Ken prayed for me, and I prayed that God would help me to rest my concerns in Him....and there was no reason to worry after all. Everything was perfect. I only gained 1 pound this month, but he said that was okay. I measure right where I should for my 33rd week. My blood pressure is still so low it's practically non-...
The nursery is starting to really come together now. Dad did come help me build a bookshelf (well, I just helped by painting and by changing drill bits....he wouldn't let me lift a thing!). It looks amazing, like it was custom built into the room. Ken's mom ordered the khaki-colored rug that will fill up most of the hardwood floors....it should be ready in about a week or so. The crib is on its way....it's expected arrival date is next Monday, but we'll see. Dad's custom watercolors that match the baby bedding are hung on the walls....wow, words can't explain how beautiful they are!
Heading towards my 32-week mark, I am really starting to feel the effects of the weight of the baby. I feel like my entire body is being pulled forward (well, it is.....), and my back over-arches to compensate. I have been giving out of all energy about 2:30 or 3 each day, and sometimes my catnaps turn into 2-1/2 hour slumbers. All this makes up for the tossing and turning I do...
I am nearing the 31-week mark, which means in about 1-1/2 weeks, I will be in my eighth month. Wow, I can’t believe it is getting so much closer to the birth. I think I’m getting to the stage now where I just can’t wait much longer….the anticipation and excitement is growing, and I am starting to long to hold him in my arms. As he grows stronger daily (and I can tell by how much harder he is kicking, shoving, and stretching), it makes him that much closer to my heart, and I realize that he is nearly to full completion….this long, 9-month road of God weaving together our son inside of me is almost at its end, and the promise of a baby in our arms is nearly materialized!! I am feeling like I’m sticking out so far now! Well, I am, actually! That’s normal! But whenever I catch a sideways glance of myself in a mirror, I still have to catch my breath when I see that huge beach ball-shape preceding my body! I have never felt clumsier. Ken loves to watch me in the kitch...