Purely amazing.

I'm fairly sure that I don't want a water birth, I might want to labor in the tub, but not actually give birth in it.  But this is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

Not preggo.

I'm only posting this because I forgot to inform some people that I wasn't preggo and some people still thought I might be.  LOL.  Oops.  Also, FYI for anyone TTC, the 2 weeks BEFORE you ovulate are SO much easier to get through.  This time flys by!  It's the two weeks after that are terrible!  Can't drink, can't take hot baths, cant do any of the stuff that might harm a baby, even when there's not one in there!  This is why TTC would be SO much less stressful if you could just know right away if it worked!  Someone needs to work on a remedy to that problem!

I better be pregnant

Because if I'm not, I must be getting sick or something.  I have serious body aches, sore boobs, bloated tummy, and I'm not really nauseous but I feel like I'm on the verge of being nauseous any second if that makes any sense.

I'm only 9DPO, so my period's not due for another week.  So I'm pretty sure that this is not PMS symptoms.

Positive OPK

Got one yesterday and one today.  That means "O" day should be today or tomorrow.  I've been a lot more relaxed this cycle.  I haven't been counting the days and I also decided not to chart temps.  It's too much of a pain in the ass and I feel like I have a pretty good idea of when I'm ovulating, so I decided to take a break from it.  If we're not preggo within the next few months, I'll go back to it, but for now I don't feel like I need to do it.

2nd cycle unsuccessful.

But I'm determined not to be down about it!  First of all, it was a timing issue again, so I've been told by my doctor that it doesn't count towards how many months we've been trying.  You only count it if you had good timing and it didn't work.  For us, James wasn't here this time when I ovulated, so it just didn't work out.  But we are hopeful for this month since he's not supposed to be going anywhere during this cycle.  Other perks of not being pregnant this time around:  I get to drink at Thanksgiving and the Air Station Christmas Party =)  YAY!  And our baby has no chance of being born anytime near our wedding anniversary!  Which is nice because I would like our baby to have its own birthday, not have to share it with another event.

Questions for The Birth Center

*Updated*
We went for our tour and I was SUPER impressed.  I'm really excited about this place and I think it's going to work out for us.  I still have some time to collect more information before we make a final decision as I'm not yet pregnant, so if you think of anything else I should ask, let me know.

Q: Is the center licensed by the state?
A: Yes.

Q: Is the center accredited by the NACC?
A: Yes.

Q: Once I become pregnant, when should I schedule my first appointment?
A: Somewhere between the 6th and 10th week.

Q: With Tricare Prime, do I need a referral from my PCM to make my first appointment?
A: Not yet answered.

Q: Is the entire pregnancy covered by my insurance?  If not, what additional charges might I incur?
A: Not yet answered.

Q: Will I get to meet all of the midwives who may attend my birth?
A: Yes, you are scheduled with each of the 4 midwives at least once for prenatal visits.

Q: How long are prenatal visits?
A: The initial visit is 1 hour, all others are 30 minutes.

Q: Do you perform ultrasounds?  If so, how many?
A: Not routinely, but we will perform them as needed or by request.

Q: What is your C-Section rate?
A: 4% to 7%

Q: During pregnancy, what conditions would require me to transfer to the care of another provider?
A: High risk pregnancies.  i.e. pregnancy past 42 weeks, twins or other multiples, diabetes, placenta previa, preeclampsia, high-blood pressure, previous c-section, other pre-existing conditions.  We have about an 11% transfer rate.

Q: During labor, what situations would require me to be transferred to a hospital?
A: Breech delivery, baby in severe distress, mother in severe distress.

Q: If transfer becomes necessary, what is the backup hospital and who are the backup providers?  Can I arrange to tour the hospital and meet those providers?
A: The backup hospital is Christiana Hospital in Newark, DE.  It's a 20 minute drive from The Birth Center.  We also do transfers to St. Frances Hospital in extreme emergency situations which is 1 block away.

Q: What percentage of women who transfer have C-Sections?
A: Not yet answered.

Q: Would my midwife be able to remain active in my care if I need to be transferred to the hospital?
A: Possibly, but possibly not.  Because the midwife would not longer be your primary care, it would be up to the hospital whether or not the midwife would be allowed to stay with you.

Q: Under what circumstances would my baby need to be transferred to a hospital?
A: Not yet answered.

Q: Do you have any policies that limit the number of people I can have with me during labor and birth?
A: No, you can have as few or as many people as you would like in the room with you during labor and birth.

Q: Do the midwives here routinely provide continuous support during labor?  If not, do you have experience with trained labor support (doulas) during labor and birth?  Do you encourage the use of a doula?
A: Yes.  The midwife will remain with you for the duration of labor and delivery.  We do support the use of doulas, but they are not always necessary.

Q: Do you offer intermittent fetal monitoring (with a doppler)?
A: Yes.  We routinely use a doppler for intermittent fetal monitoring, but we do have a continuous monitoring system available if we need it.

Q: What are your usual policies and practices about:  IVs, freedom to be active and move about during labor, eating and drinking, positions during birth?
A: An I.V. is not standard during labor and delivery, if we need to give you antibiotics we will give you a heparin lock.  You are free to move about during labor, eat and drink whatever you like, and you can choose any position for birth that feels right.

Q: What is the usual care if labor is progressing slowly?
A: Natural methods of induction, castor oil, stripping of membranes, possibly breaking your water.

Q: Under what circumstances would you induce labor with Pitocin or other drugs?
A: None, if that were to need to happen, you would be transferred to the hospital.

Q: Is there a time limit on labor?
A: Only once your water has broken.  Once your water breaks, you have to be in active labor within 24 hours.

Q: Do you ever perform assisted deliveries with forceps or vacuum extractor?
A: Not yet answered.

Q: What is your episiotomy rate?
A: Less than 1%.

Q: Under what conditions would you perform an episiotomy?
A: To avoid the need to transfer you to a hospital in the event that the baby is in distress.  Only if absolutely medically necessary.

Q: What drug measures for pain relief are available?
A: We do offer I.V. pain medications.

Q: Do you use epidurals?
A: No, we do not perform epidurals as there is no anesthesiologist on staff.

Q: How long is the average stay after birth?
A: The minimum is 4 hours, you usually go home the same day.

Q: What follow up care and support would you provide after I go home?
A: The midwives will call for your and your baby's vitals the next day, the 3rd day will be a home visit, there is a one week check-up for the baby and a six week check up for the mom.

Q: Can I still have a home visit even though we live over an hour away?
A: Yes, the midwives will still come to your home.

Q: Do you provide information and support over the phone after I go home?
A: Yes.

Productive day!

I spent today cleaning out the bedroom that's going to be the nursery.  All that is in the room now is stuff that will be used in it once we have a baby.  I'm so happy because that room was FULL of all the stuff we I hadn't unpacked yet.  But, I'm excited to say that I'm finally finished "unpacking".  I haven't put everything away yet, but part of that is because I need some more storage to make up for the fact that we don't have a storage shed here like we did in Hawaii.  That's a little challenging.

Also, I reserved our spot for next Wednesday to tour The Birth Center in Wilmington.  I'm really excited about this place, so I'm really hoping it pans out.  I have a list of questions to ask them and I'm going to post it on here once I finish it.  Once I post it, if you think of anything you think I might want to add to it, let me know!

Amazing read.

I'm currently reading this book, Origins, by Annie Murphy Paul, and it is fantastically interesting so far.  It's all about how our 9 months in the womb have great impact on the person we become.  For example, there's been some research that points to undernutrition in the womb as a determining factor in us developing heart problems later in life!  Why would that result in heart disease later?

"One explanation is that fetuses are making the best of a bad job.  When nutrients are scarce, they divert nutrients towards the really critical organ---the brain---and away from other organs, like the heart and liver.  This keeps the fetus alive in the short term, but the bill comes due later in life, when the heart, deprived early on, becomes more vulnerable to disease." - Dr. David Barker

I've just started reading the book, but it's so fascinating!  I can't wait to read more!

First Try

Unfortunately, the first try was unsuccessful.  But, I only have myself to blame for miscalculating things.  Oh well, at least I know for this time.  The really sucky part is that I went to the doctor for a checkup and he went ahead and ordered a blood test because I said I might be pregnant.  Then the very next day after I had my blood drawn (yuck) my lovely monthly gift showed up.  Ugh.

New Plan!

So, James and I may be looking into another option for where to have our baby.  I looked into the birthing center at Mainland Hospital and the C-Section rate for that hospital is a bit high.  I'm going to have to look into it more to see if that's just the regular labor and delivery ward or if that is the rate for the birth center alone.  We've found another birth center that is a freestanding birth center and is run by certified nurse midwives.  I'm so excited!  The only downside is that it's a little over an hour away in Wilmington, DE; which is not really a huge problem, but it would be a bit of a drive for pre-natal appointments.  But the C-Section rate is only 4-7% as opposed to almost 40% at the hospital that the other birth center was in.  That's a pretty big difference!  I think we're going to go tour both of them, but I'm definitely leaning toward Wilmington.

Pre-Baby Belly

I think I'm going to take some better quality pictures at some point to mark the starting point of the belly journey, but I couldn't resist snapping this one this morning.  It's totally flat!  Finally!  I've worked to hard to get these abs and I'm so glad that I can finally see the work.  This photo is of Gwenn Stratton.

In this photo, she is 28 weeks pregnant.  She's so incredibly inspiring.  She's continued her workout routine throughout her entire pregnancy and she says it's even helped her to have more energy and feel better during pregnancy.  My goal is not to work out like her through my pregnancy, my goal is to work out like me.  Basically, I'm not going to try to push myself to an extreme, but it is proven that it is possible to keep up your pre-pregnancy level of fitness as long as you're reasonably fit and healthy before hand.  

Basically the coolest thing ever.

I ran across this blog randomly and I'm now determined to do something similar to this for my pregnancy.  Photographer Ryan Marshall did a series of photos of his wife that he called "The Belly Series" on his blog, Pacing The Panic Room, and it is one of the coolest things I've ever seen done.  If you've never seen it, definitely check it out.

An amazing read!

I just finished reading Homebirth in the Hospital, by Stacey Marie Kerr, MD.  It is a fantastic book!  It basically spells out exactly what I want my birth experience to be like.  She is an OB/GYN, but she has spent a lot of time observing midwifes at home births and has learned to integrate the homebirth into the hospital birth.  Her opinion is, that in most circumstances, a woman's body will do everything it needs to do during labor and that most woman do NOT need all of the interferences of a medical facility.  She talks about how differently childbirth is viewed by the midwife community vs the medical community.  Midwives view childbirth as a natural part of life, something normal and routine.  The medical community views it as a medical condition which should be closely monitored.  So she strives to encompass both of those views and create the most comfortable and natural birth possible, while still having all of those usually unnecessary medical procedures and interventions available in case they are needed.  It's such a great book and really just empowers women to have the kind of birth that THEY want, not giving birth the way someone is telling you to.

I really, really, REALLY hope that it would work out...

...for me to have a baby HERE.  This place is beautiful and just seems like a really great place to give birth.  I'm terrified of giving birth in a military hospital and I'd really LOVE to do it at a birthing center vs. a hospital anyway.  It says they take Tricare, but I have NO clue how all this stuff works.

My first baby craft project.

Mary Jane Baby Booties!  I made them last night in about 3 hours.  I think they are adorable.

If anyone knows someone that's having a girl and would like these as a shower gift, let me know.  I can make them in any color and I'll only charge to ship them (which shouldn't be much because they don't really weigh anything).  I'd like the practice!

A very cute idea!

I'm on the website Coastie Chicks a lot and a girl on there made a post this morning about how her friend decided to find out and announce the sex of their baby.

The couple went to the ultrasound appointment and had the tech write down the sex on a piece of paper and seal it up instead of telling them.  Then they took the piece of paper to a bakery and told them they wanted a cake made with white frosting and to make the inside of the cake blue if the paper said boy and pink if it said girl.  Then they took the cake home and had a little gathering of family and friends and cut the cake.  That way they could all find out together.

I thought this was such a cute idea!  How fun to have all your friends and family around when you find out what you're having!

Last birth control pill!

They are officially gone!