When I Was 9 Months Pregnant

One of the last pictures I have from my pregnancy with Chloe, I was 36 weeks and 2 days pregnant. It's hard to believe that Chloe wasn't born for almost another 6 weeks! I wanted to share a post I wrote last May, I was 9 months pregnant and anxiously awaiting for the arrival of my daughter! Such a beautiful and happy time in my life! 

Sometimes I Miss.....

36 weeks pregnant, 9 months!

Sometimes I actually really miss being pregnant! For the most part I loved pregnancy, the whole experience was so beautiful, pure and special and I felt so feminine carrying around inside of me a precious human life. I loved the sensation of feeling and seeing my daughters little body kicking and squirming inside my belly, I loved that I was the only one that got to experience that.

Being a Mom is such a beautiful thing! and I am  forever grateful to God that he chose me to be Chloe's Mom. In a few years if its in Gods will I look forward to experiencing it all over again.

The Happiest Day

On June 14th 2011 my beautiful daughter Chloe Madison was born. She arrived into this world via c-section at 11:26 pm. Chloe weighed 9lbs 1oz and was 21 3/4 inches long. Chloe is such a blessing to Mike and I and we absolutely love being her parents!

The birth of my daughter went nothing as planned. My husband and I planned to labor and deliver at a birth center with our midwives but, instead we ended up at the hospital with doctors and nurses we had never met before, we had planned to have an un-medicated birth but, ended up needing to be induced and then later on needing to get an epidural, we had planned on me delivering vaginally but instead ended up having a c-section. Mike and I always agreed though that the most important thing to us is that our daughter would be safe and healthy, and in the end that's exactly what we got. Chloe is so beautiful and is as healthy as can be! The day my daughter was born was the sweetest day in the whole wide world  for me!

9 Days Overdue

Today marks exactly 9 days past my due date. This past month has been such a challenge for me and as each day goes by that I am still pregnant I feel more and more frustrated and hopeless. It feels like there is no end in sight. I try to remind myself over and over again that this will be ending soon, that all this pain and discomfort that I am feeling will all be worth it when I finally have my daughter in my arms. Any day now my beautiful Chloe will be here, any day now.

The good news is that this week we have a plan. At my appointment with my midwife on Thursday we talked about our plan of action for this week since I cant go past 42 weeks. On Monday I have to go in for a BPP ultrasound to check on Chloe and make sure she is still healthy and growing properly. If everything looks good with her then I wouldn't have to worry about an induction until I get to Friday. On Tuesday I have another appointment with my midwife, at that appointment they will do a nonstress test, check to see if I am progressing, give me a membrane sweep if they are able, and then send me home with a mixture of castor oil and lemon verbena to drink that will hopefully put me into labor. If that doesn't work then they want me to take a stronger version of the mixture again. My midwife also suggested that this week I really focus on all the natural ways to induce labor even though nothing will actually put me into labor unless my body is ready it will still help get my body to be thinking more about labor.

If by Friday I still have not gone into labor then I will have to be induced and labor and deliver at the hospital instead of at the birth center. We are really hoping that doesn't happen and that we will be able to have the natural un-medicated birth that we planned at the birth center. In all honesty though I will be ok if we have to go to the hospital and be induced, whatever it takes to have my beautiful healthy baby girl in my arms! I know that no matter what God is watching over us!

3 Days Overdue

Today I am 3 days past my due date. I'm not surprised at all, I figured Chloe would be late. I'm really hoping that she will be here by this weekend!! Today I feel pretty good so far, I actually got a couple hours of sleep last night! These past couple weeks have been very difficult for me. I haven't been able to sleep much, I'm so uncomfortable, I was having really bad heartburn everyday, and my stomach is so itchy and sore from stretching so much. Some days seem harder then others to get by. I just cant wait to be done being pregnant!

On Thursday if I am still pregnant I have my 41 week appointment with my midwife. I get to be checked for the first time, which I am kinda excited about. I have been having contractions almost everyday for the past 3 weeks so it would be very exciting if I was actually progressing along. I will also be getting a membrane sweep as well and hopefully that will put me into labor  If I make it to 42 weeks then I will have to get induced which is something we really want to try to avoid.

 I just have to share something that's really cute. Chloe loves to stick her little butt straight up in the air all the time. It's so funny to see, my stomach gets all lopsided and you can totally see that her butt is just sticking straight up. Mike and I think its so funny and cute! Every time I have an appointment with my midwives Chloe always has her butt in the air for them to see and everyone thinks its the funniest thing. I think its pretty darn cute!

5 Days Till Due Date

Today I am exactly 39 weeks and 2 days! It still amazes me that 9 months have gone by and that Mike and I are finally at the part in this journey were we will be welcoming our beautiful daughter into this world! I remember the day I found out I was pregnant, I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember the overwhelming love and joy I felt when I first saw that little blue plus sign. I feel so blessed that God chose me to be Chloe's Mom! I love daydreaming about what its going to be like to see her beautiful face and to hold her in my arms.

Ahhh its so difficult to be patient and its such a strange feeling to know that the most exciting, life changing day of my life is going to happen at any moment but I don't know when exactly. I don't know the day my daughter will be born, or at what time, or where I will be when I go into labor. I haven't the slightest clue, everything is a surprise, which is difficult for someone like me to grasp because I have always liked to have everything planned out.

10 Days Till Due Date

Only 10 days left until my due date!! I cant wait to finally meet my little girl face to face!! Everyday I am just anxiously awaiting for her arrival. I am hoping that one morning I will wake up and just know that today's the day my baby will be born, that I would get some sort of feeling.

This past weekend was an interesting one for me. For one thing I was having lots of contractions and cramping. The contractions felt a lot stronger then the ones I was having last week but they would always stop after an hour at a time. On Sunday I felt terrible, I didn't get any sleep from the night before and all day I just felt really off. I was having lots of contractions and nothing I was doing would make them go away so Mike and I thought that maybe I was actually going into labor. Nope, after a couple hours they went away. I felt really nauseous and after getting sick and laying down for a little bit the contractions slowed down and then completely stopped. This past weekend I was so emotional as well. I honestly couldn't stop crying. I have no idea what was going on with me but it was definitely an exhausting weekend. So far this week I seem to be doing much better. I am not having any contractions, I am sleeping well again and I don't feel the need to cry every second. I just want to have my baby in my arms already, I am done being pregnant now!

Full Term

-- Full term and so excited! --

My sweet baby girl could come at anytime, what an incredible feeling that gives me! On Saturday night I started to have contractions, they lasted for an hour and then went away. Even though they didn't lead into labor it is still pretty exciting to me knowing that my body is getting ready for the big day.

On Friday I had my last day of work, which was exciting and sad at the same time. I have been babysitting this little boy for almost 3 years now. I feel so blessed to have been able to watch him grow over the years and its been so much fun to see his personality form. This family that I worked for have become my family and both Mike and I are so grateful to know them and have them in our lives.  I am trying to not look at this as goodbye because we plan on still staying in touch and seeing them as often as we can.

Well that's all for now, I am just sitting here waiting patiently for Chloe's big arrival!

These Past 9 Months

I am officially 9 months pregnant now! I know I say it over and over again but I cant believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by. These past months have been so special to me, the day I found out I was pregnant was the best day of my life, and the day that my husband and I welcome our beautiful daughter into this world will be even more incredible then I can even imagine. Sometimes I just sit and daydream about the day that Chloe arrives, I get so emotional thinking about seeing her for the first time, to finally hold her and kiss her and breath her in. God has truly blessed me so much!

Here are a few of my favorite things about these past 9 months....

:: Telling our family that we are expecting, it means so much to me how excited everyone is to meet Chloe, she is one loved little girl.

:: Feeling Chloe's little flutters for the first time, and all the flutters, kicks, punches, and rolls I have felt since then.....I'm going to miss feeling her inside of me.

:: The day we found out that we were going to have a baby girl, I cant even express how truly happy that made me.

:: Growing closer to Mike through this journey.

:: Watching Mike's excitement grow as we get closer and closer to meeting our daughter.

:: Watching my belly grow, and grow, and grow.

:: Seeing my daughter for the first time in a ultrasound.

:: Learning so much more about myself through this journey.

:: Having my Mom fly in from Chicago for the weekend just so she could be at our baby shower.

:: Being able to experience pregnancy, I feel so blessed that God choose me to be a Mother and even though I sometimes feel very uncomfortable I wouldn't trade this for anything.

A Beautiful Start to May

In 4 days I will be 9 months pregnant, In 11 days I will be considered full-term! Its so surreal to me how close I am to meeting my daughter, my due date is June 3rd but Chloe could decide to arrive into this world this month! I have to admit I wouldn't mind one bit if Chloe wanted to come in May and with the way things are looking its definitely a possibility. We had a ultrasound on Thursday and Chloe's estimated weight is already 6 lbs and 7 oz! She was measuring at 37 weeks and a couple days. My baby has been measuring ahead throughout this whole pregnancy so I don't know if that means my due date is wrong or what but that would be so exciting if I had my baby this month! I know I really shouldn't get to excited, Chloe will come whenever she is ready, whether it be early or late. I just really want to meet my baby girl already! Anyways, the ultrasound looked perfect Chloe is beautiful and healthy, and the doctor told me that my body is very good at making babies!

On Saturday Mike installed Chloe's car seat, we also have her pack n play set up next to our bed, and all of Chloe's clothes are washed and put away. I started packing Mike and I's and Chloe's labor bag for the birth center and my last day of work is on Friday the 13th. Everything is definitely coming together but, of course I still feel like I still have so much to do. I am trying to relax and just focus on whats important though.

Sunday was so beautiful here in Seattle, it was the perfect start to May! Mike and I decided to take our dog Blue to Alki Beach and go for a walk. We had a great time and walked for a couple miles. Both Blue and I were pretty tired afterwards!

Our Baby Shower

On April 9th a lovely couple from the church we go to threw Mike and I a baby shower. We had such a great time, Mike's dad was there and a lot of people from the church were able to make it as well. It was truly such a beautiful experience and gift. Then on April 16th my good friend Erika and her husband Eli threw Mike and I a shower as well. My Mom came all the way from Chicago to be there, and a lot of Mike's family was there as well as some of our friends. We had such a great time, we played games and opened gifts, and Erika and Eli made a really great lunch and desert for everyone to enjoy! Mike and I feel so blessed to have so many people in our lives that love and support us! It's really so touching to me how many people already love Chloe and how everyone is so excited to meet her in June!

Our Maternity Photoshoot

Life is Busy

-- Chloe's car-seat has arrived! --

-- Look at these adorable pink converse shoes, oh I love them! --

April has been one busy month for my husband and I. It's been full of appointments, child birth classes, birthdays, holidays, baby showers, and family. It's been a really fun month but next month we are planning on taking it easy. It's starting to really hit me lately that next month is the last month that it's just going to be my husband and I, our lives are going to be forever changed when our little girl arrives. I've been really emotional lately, normally I am a really emotional, sensitive person, I have been like that my whole life, but with this pregnancy I haven't been very emotional at all. I guess it's all hitting me now. Yesterday evening Mike and I rented the movie Tangled and while we were watching it we kept talking about how we can picture our daughter liking the movie when she is a little bit older. Then Mike said something about how he can picture Chloe dancing around the house singing one of the songs from the beginning of the movie and immediately after he said that I wanted to burst into tears, I didn't though I held it in, but just the thought of our daughter being here with us made me so happy and filled with joy.

Whats New

I realized I have been really lacking lately with my blog. So much has been going on in my life that I haven't even mentioned in any of my recent posts. I thought this would be a good time to share whats new and to talk about all the preparations being made for the arrival of my sweet little girl.

A few weeks ago Mike and I decided to hire a doula to be with us during the birth of our daughter. A doula is a woman you can hire who gives you continuous physical, emotional and informational support during labor and birth. There are many benefits to having a doula both for the expectant Mother and Father, especially if you are having a natural birth. We interviewed three different woman and the last woman we interviewed we decided to hire. She is very organized and professional and both Mike and I connected really well with her and felt really comfortable around her. We are really happy with our decision to hire a doula, and I feel much more confident about going through labor without any pain medication. The more support I have the better!

On Sunday I finished working on our birth plan. It feels really good to have that done with. I have to admit I was really dreading working on it but once I sat down and typed it out it was easy to figure out what things were really important for Mike and I to include in our plan. 

This Saturday we have our first baby shower! A woman at the church we go to decided she really wanted to throw us a shower. It's so incredibly sweet of her to think of us and we are really looking forward to going! Then on the 16th of this month my really good friend Erika is throwing Mike and I a baby shower as well. I cant wait, it's going to be so much fun, and it really makes me feel so special and loved that these woman would want to throw Mike and I a baby shower! We are very blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives that love and support us.

Oh and the most exciting news of all is that my Mom is coming to visit for the weekend! She is arriving  on the 15th and staying till the 17th. It's a short visit but she will be able to be at our baby shower and I am just so grateful to be able to spend some time with her!

Last Wednesday Mike and I attended our first childbirth class. The class is every Wednesday from 7-9:45 pm and goes for 6 weeks. We had a lot of fun and I can already tell we are going to be learning so much from this class. I really want to be as prepared as I possibly can for the birth of my daughter. I know things might not go exactly as planned and labor can be filled with many unexpected obstacles and events, but for me at least the more information I have the more confident I feel and the better I can make a decision.

Getting Uncomfortable

This past week has been a bit rough for me, I just feel so uncomfortable. My back has really been hurting and I cant seem to be able to get a good night sleep anymore. I have been having heartburn a lot more often now as well, and overall I just feel crappy lately. Oh well, I knew this day was going to come and I know it's only going to get worse from here. All of these pregnancy symptoms are worth it in the end though, to be able to hold my beautiful baby girl! I just feel like complaining right now lol.

I do have some exciting news though, tonight Mike and I have our first childbirth class to go to! The class is 6 weeks long and starts at 7 and goes until 9:45. It's a long class but we are both really excited and looking forward to going. We have heard so many great things about this class, and it's very hands on which I'm really looking forward to!

Tomorrow we have our big growth ultrasound to go to. I'm really looking forward to that because it's always so much fun to see Chloe and to see how much she is growing! We will also find out how much she weighs, I know she is over 3 lbs now but it will be exciting to find out the exact number. She might even be 4 lbs already! At my last growth ultrasound which was around 11 weeks ago Chloe weighed 12 ounces. It's so exciting to see how much she has grown since then!

Great News

On Friday I will be 30 weeks! Seriously, I cant believe I am already this far along. This pregnancy has gone by so fast, way faster then I imagined it was going to go by. It's strange, I am at this stage in my pregnancy were it almost feels bitter sweet that it's nearing the end. On one hand I absolutely cant wait for the day my daughter is born, when I can finally hold her in my arms and look into her eyes and just stare in amazement that God himself would give my husband and I this incredible gift! Then on the other hand I have really loved being pregnant, and selfishly I feel sad that it's coming to an end. I know that I will never forget these 9 months, it's really been a life changing journey for me, and for the first time in my life I have so much appreciation and respect for my body.

Ok on to the good news lol. Today I had an appointment with my midwife. She told me that the results for the glucose test came back negative and that I don't have gestational diabetes! I cant tell you how good it felt to hear her say that. We talked about preparing more for the birth and my postpartum care and the tests that they will run after my daughter is born. She also suggested that this would be a good time to start researching pediatricians in our area and to choose the one we like for our daughter. I guess they need to know by 37 weeks the name of the doctor we have picked for our baby. The rest of the appointment went great, my blood pressure was perfect, she felt for the baby's positioning, and we got to hear our little girls heartbeat. My midwife measured me, which she started doing once I hit 24 weeks, today I measured at 31. I have consistently been measuring a little bit bigger but they figure that's due to the extra fluid I have so there not at all worried about it.

So thats my wonderful news, It's been a busy day, but a great day!

28 Weeks

Picture taken right before my big fall.

Its been to long since I have written a post, I was going to write one last weekend but I ended up spending the weekend in the hospital so writing wasn't really on my mind. As most people know last Saturday evening I fell outside and landed right on my belly. Both Mike and I were really shaken up about the whole thing and rushed to the hospital to make sure our daughter was ok. We stayed there overnight on Saturday, and Sunday evening at 9 we got to go home. They wanted to keep my there for 24 hrs just to be safe which was honestly such a huge relief for Mike and I. We would much rather be overly cautious about the whole thing.

Chloe is doing great, she seemed to be completely unaffected by the whole ordeal! The whole time I was in the hospital they checked on Chloe often with a doppler for 20 minutes at a time, her heartbeat was perfect and strong and she was just busy playing away. While I was there I was also hooked up to a monitor that recorded any contractions I was having. Turns out I was having contractions, they were just mild ones and I didn't even know I was having them most of the time. The doctor wasn't to worried about it and said that it's normal to have contractions when you experience a trauma like that. They did give me a pill to take that was supposed to relax my uterus and stop the contractions. The pill seemed to work well because by the end of my stay I had much fewer contractions then when I came in.

As of right now, 4 days out of the hospital I feel pretty good. I was extremely tired Monday and Tuesday and slept most of the day. On Monday my body felt really sore and I had a difficult time lifting my right arm. The soreness has gone away and now the only thing that is really bothering me is my right hand. I scraped it up pretty bad in a couple different spots so it's difficult to use my hand right now, and it hurts, and it's pretty gross to look at lol. I'm not having any contractions at least not that I know of. I have to go in for a non-stress test on Tuesday and a ultrasound so I will know more then.

My husband and I are so incredibly grateful that everything is ok with our baby girl, and we just thank God so much for protecting her when I fell. Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers, it meant so much to us!

Pregnancy Update

Last Thursday I was scheduled to take the glucose test. I fasted for 3 hrs, drank the glucose sugar drink they gave me in under 5 minutes and then Mike and I drove to the birth center to get my blood taken. When we got to the birth center one of my midwifes was there to take my blood and send it to the lab to get tested. Unfortunately my veins are really small and she couldn't get any blood, she tried twice, one in each arm and then also checked my hands, but none of my veins worked. To much time had passed after I drank the glucose drink (they have to take your blood exactly 1 hr after you drink the sugar drink) so she couldn't try anymore to find a vein that would work. Tomorrow I have to fast and drink that disgusting drink again, and go to an actual lab to get my blood drawn. I was definitely frustrated when my midwife told me I had to take the test again. As much as I love my midwife's I have to admit they kinda suck at drawing blood, lol.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, I have to go to the lab and get my blood drawn, then I have to go to the hospital to do a non stress test and have another ultrasound, and then after that I have my regular prenatal checkup with my midwife. I am praying everything still looks great with my daughter when they do the ultrasound tomorrow and that she is still growing properly. I have been feeling her move all the time so that's been a huge relief! I still don't know why I wasn't feeling any of her movements for a couple days last week. 

I should find out the results from the glucose test hopefully on Wednesday or Thursday, and if I do have gestational diabetes then I can learn what I need to do to ensure that Chloe will continue to grow and be healthy. I will keep everyone updated when I find out the results.

Cant Sleep and Rambling....

So it's almost 1:30 in the morning right now and I am still up! I just cant seem to fall asleep tonight, my back and my legs are really sore. Most nights I actually sleep really well, but I do have a couple nights here and there were I just cant fall asleep. Oh well, hopefully I will fall asleep soon!

Today I finally decided to clean out the closet in our office so we can use it for all of Chloe's clothes and other items. One thing nice about the apartment Mike and I live in is that the closets are pretty big and they also have a long shelf in them. We should be able to fit all of her things nicely in the closet. I even got some children hangers today at Target and hung up the clothes we have for her.

Tomorrow Mike and I are going to go to Babies R Us to finish our registry for baby Chloe, I'm pretty excited, it's always fun to look at all the cute baby stuff and clothes! We already have the car seat we want to get picked out as well as a really cool pack n play that has a bassinet that Chloe will sleep in next to our bed for the first couple months. We are going to buy them both probably at the end of April! Slowly things are coming together!

Here's some really exciting, crazy news, I'm finally in my 3rd trimester! I cant believe it, in a couple of months my baby will be here in my arms! This pregnancy really has gone by so fast, next Friday I will be 28 weeks which is 7 months, Wow time is just flying!

Everything Is Ok

 My beautiful daughter in 4d at 26 weeks and 4 days

So yesterday we ended up having an unscheduled ultrasound. Yesterday morning I called my midwife and expressed to her that I was feeling concerned because I hadn't felt any movement from Chloe since Saturday afternoon. I was really worried because I feel my baby's movements everyday, and her movements have been getting much stronger to the point were I can see my belly move when she is kicking. So it was really scary to all of a sudden not be able to feel anything for several days. My midwife told me to come in at 12:30 to possibly do a non stress test and to hear the baby's heartbeat. I called Mike while he was at work and told him that our midwife wanted us to come in that afternoon. Mike left work early and came home and we were able to go to our appointment together which was such a huge relief to have him there with me.

When we got to the birth center my midwife had me lay down immediately so we could check for the baby's heartbeat. She found Chloe's heartbeat right away, and it sounded nice and strong. It was such a huge relief to her heartbeat! My midwife suggested though that we go to the hospital next door where we had gotten our 20 week ultrasound and have another ultrasound done to really see what was going on with our baby.

Luckily there was an opening right away at the hospital and we didn't have to wait to be seen. It was amazing to see Chloe again through the ultrasound, she already looked so much bigger then the last time we saw her almost 7 weeks ago. The ultrasound technician took all of Chloe's measurements and looked at all the necessary things to make a complete assessment on Chloe's health. We could clearly see that Chloe was moving around, kicking her little legs and feet, and moving her arms and hands. At one point in the ultrasound we could see that Chloe had her feet all the way up by her head lol, It was so cute! We also got to see Chloe's face in 4d which was beyond the most amazing thing I had ever seen. Seriously I cant even describe how incredible it was to see my daughter's face so clearly, it really was so touching and it left me completely in awe!

The doctor came in a little bit later to go over the ultrasound. She said Chloe looks completely perfect, that she weighs 2.4 lbs and is moving around a lot. The doctor told us that baby's usually don't have a routine yet until at around 28 weeks and that most mothers do not feel all of their baby's movements. She also told us that I have a little more amniotic fluid then I had before which could be what is causing me to feel less of Chloe's movements. I asked the doctor what is causing me to have more fluid, and she said that the extra fluid is Urine from Chloe which could mean that I have gestational diabetes because Chloe is peeing more then she should. I am scheduled to take the glucose screening test next Tuesday with my midwife but the doctor I saw today suggested that I take the test sometime this week instead. She kept reassuring me that Chloe is completely healthy though, and that she is not worried at all but that she does want me to come in again next Tuesday for another ultrasound and a non stress test.

Mike and I both felt so relieved that we were able to see Chloe, hear her heartbeat, and to know that she is perfectly fine and healthy. I will admit though that I am really worried about taking the glucose test, and I am worried that they are going to tell me I have gestational diabetes. All I want is for my baby to be healthy.