My Fourth

Still no baby, just for the record.

I had a great weekend though! My family came up and we had a blast. Sunday we swam at the hotel pool. My mom found an inflatable bat and baseball at dollar general, and me, my nieces, my dad, mr.pate and Dustin all played. It was so fun! But I over did it and was hardcore hobbling the next morning. Then we grilled and played the wii (well they did, I conked out).

Then yesterday we were going to go to Beech Bend park, but the weather wasn't so great so we did a movie instead. Then more swimming. After that we were all going to head to our house to cook dinner. I was there first by myself and the chest pains I had been having off and on came back hardcore. So bad in fact, that when Mr.Pate got there I was double over in pain and crying. It was stabbing pains in my chest that sent shooting pains down my left arm. Ugh!! So we called Dr.Gass and he set us to labor and delivery to get checked out. Happy Fourth of July!

So we got there and they hooked me up to some monitors and did an EKG. Everything looked great and baby looked great. So it was either heartburn or pressure from me having no more space. They gave me some heartburn medicine and made me rest for awhile. It didn't help. Problem number one- they made me lay on my back, which made it hurt worse. Problem number two- they couldn't fix my problem so we just sat there for no reason.

The good news of this trip? They had me on a contractions monitor and what I thought was him moving is apparently a contraction. Good to know. This doesn't match anything I have been told they will feel like. When it happened my whole belly was not rock hard, but there was just a part of my belly sticking out. I thought it was griff pushing. Who knows?

But we went home and I proceeded to have the chest pains for the rest of the night and today. Which to me means it is not heartburn, but is just me running out of space. I didn't sleep at all. Blah! But I went to work today an I am learning to deal with the pain better.

I mean my child will come sometime soon. I wont feel this forever. The Lord will sustain me. He had a plan for when Griffin should be born, and it will come to pass just as He wants.

That was our 4th in a nutshell. Tonight we were supposed to go to a 4th party in Smiths Grove, but we ended up staying at Dustins school all night helping him move classrooms. It is making progress.

Tomorrow I go to the doctor for my weekly checkup. I have a non-stress test (they will put a monitor on to check baby's heartbeat, movement, and contractions) and then I will see Dr. Stice. I'll keep you posted!


- Mrs.Pate via my iPhone

Bradley Birth: Second Stage Labor

Let's talk about the second stage of labor, shall we?

Here are just some random things I learned in class about Second Stage Labor. Those that have experienced this, please feel free to add your wisdom. It is so important to remember that no two labors are alike, so take all of this with a grain of salt. This is just info to help you become familiar with the birth process and maybe make you less intimidated by it all.

Some Definitions:

• Afterbirth: The birth of the placenta and membranes after the birth
• Episiotomy: Surgical incision made in the perineum (the skin and tissues between the vagina and anus) to "prevent tearing"
• Cord Clamping: Clamping down on the Umbilical cord to stop the flow of blood and oxygen from the mom to baby so you can cut the cord. The baby then starts breathing on its own for the first time. 
• Ferguson Reflex: When baby presses onto the Ferguson Plexus of nerves, creating Ferguson's reflex, the urge to push

The Second Stage of Labor is when you are ready to push. At this point you are fully dilated (10cm) and fully effaced (100%), which means the cervix is completely thinned and open and ready to let baby out. Baby has descended down the birth canal and is ready to emerge. Some women will feel what is called an urge to push. This is generally caused by the baby pressed onto the Ferguson Plexus of nerves, creating Ferguson's reflex, the urge to push. It is important to note that some women may have a break between becoming completely dilated and feeling the urge to push (this urge feels the same as when you have to "go"). Baby may be getting into a better position. So use this time to rest and get ready for the next stage. 

Upright positioning is usually favorable for the second stage, allowing gravity to assist the mother. There are numerous positions available in modern birth beds, including the squat bar, and foot pedals.

Out of bed positions are wonderful and becoming more popular, particularly for women having trouble pushing in the bed. Including:

Squatting (Opens the pelvic outlet an additional 10%)

Birth Stools

Birth Balls

Water Pools

Birth Chair

Dangling

Toilet

Side lying positions are used to slow down a very rapid labor and are great for protecting the perineum during a rapid birth.

Semi-reclined, or laying on your back with stirrups are still very common in many hospitals, particularly if you have regional anesthesia, or will be having a forceps or vacuum delivery. This position does not use gravity and increases the length of the pushing stage and increases the use of episiotomy, vacuum extraction, and forceps. You can request a different position.

I would recommend googling "pushing positions for labor" or "positions for second stage labor" to get other ideas. Because all we ever see in movies and mostly in real life is women laying on their backs in the bed, it is hard to figure out what else you could do. 

When you are asked to hold your breath to a count of ten, numerous times during one contractions, we call this purple pushing. Purple pushing came into play as the epidural rates increased and women never got an urge to bear down. We now extend it to nearly everyone having a baby.

The options are:

Laboring Down: Allowing your body to push the baby out on its own. Not really assisting the pushing efforts of the uterus, unless you have an overwhelming urge to push. This is particularly useful for women with epidurals because then they are not pushing against a baby who is still in a malpresentation.

Spontaneous Bearing Down (Positive Pushing): Allowing your body to tell you when to push. When this technique is used we never find mom holding her breath more than about 6 seconds, allowing more oxygen for the baby.

Bradley definitely recommends positive pushing so you are working with your body and contractions to be more effective. 

When baby's head crowns, some people experience the "ring of fire", which is a burning sensation. After baby's head is through the rest of pushing is generally much easier. 

Once the baby is born, the doctors will probably suction out their mouth and cut the cord. You have the option to cut immediately or wait for the cord to stop pulsing. (If baby is having any issues, they will cut immediately so they can move baby to the NICU station and tend to the issues.) Reasons to wait for the pulsing to stop would be that baby is getting the last bit of blood that was intended for them, they are still get oxygen from mom for a moment, and studies have shown the stem cells in the cord (ie why we cord bank now) can protect against lots of crazy sickness. You can ask that baby is immediately laid on mom to do skin to skin at this point (bonding of mom and baby skin to skin, which helps baby regulate their blood temp). 

After this comes the birthing of the placenta. Some call this the third stage. It is when the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus, and is delivered through the vaginal canal. You will still be having contractions at this time, but they are much less intense than before. For some women, they’re still strong enough that it helps to use labor breathing techniques to cope with the discomfort of these contractions.  Some women are so enraptured with the baby that they barely notice the cramping. Your caregiver may ask you to push a few times to deliver the placenta. Again, this pushing is less intense than the delivery of the baby. Third stage usually lasts ten to thirty minutes. If it lasts longer than this, you may be given Pitocin to increase contractions to encourage the delivery of the placenta, and help the uterus to begin involution (shrinking back down to the non-pregnant size.) During third stage is also the time when your caregiver will clean your genital area, examine your perineum, and will stitch up your perineum if you’ve torn or had an episiotomy. A local anesthetic is used if you haven’t had an epidural. In this period after birth, most of the parents’ attention centers on the baby, and not so much on the final stage of labor. In the first hour after birth, you will want to begin breastfeeding.

Ok moms that have been through this- what else can you share with us who haven't??

Bradley Birth: First Stage Labor

Let's talk about the first stage of labor, shall we?

Here are just some random things I learned in class about First Stage Labor. Those that have experienced this, please feel free to add your wisdom. It is so important to remember that no two labors are alike, so take all of this with a grain of salt. This is just info to help you become familiar with the birth process and maybe make you less intimidated by it all.

Some definitions:

- Anterior Presentation: this is when baby is facing the back of mom, and it's the most common and easiest to deliver (its what you want)
- Cervix: this is the neck of the uterus and at the lower end of it
- Dilation: the opening of the cervix, which they measure in cm
- Effacement: the thinning of the cervix, which they tell you in percentages

So first stage labor is when labor starts until you are ready to start pushing baby out. To prepare for labor, your body may have Braxton-Hicks contractions (practice contractions), softening of the cervix, loss of the mucous plug, etc. If you are unsure if this is real labor or pre-labor, then when you get contractions do these five things: eat, drink, walk, shower and nap. If the contractions continue on after these things then this is the real deal baby.

Once early labor begins, your uterus starts contracting. This could happen before or after your water breaks (for some women, their water never breaks on its own). When the uterus contracts, it tips forward. This is why laboring by laying on your back is supposed to be so painful, because gravity is pulling the uterus back down and causing a great deal of pain.

Today, we tend to focus on the vaginal exams to see how we are progressing during first stage. But watching the outward signs can be very helpful as well. A woman will go from being able to talk during contractions and being a very busy body, to a very inward focus where she doesn't seem to notice all that is going on around her. This is a sign that labor is progressing well. Also, the further labor gets the more modesty a woman loses. Another good outward indicator that things are moving along. Most women are hungry during the early labor and then not hungry later on.

Just before pushing, most women go through transition (but not all). Transition can suddenly change how the woman is feeling drastically. Suddenly she is defeated and saying she cant do this, talking irrationally and possibly very irritable. This is a good sign that pushing is very close! Transition is generally the hardest part of First Stage, but it usually does not last long. This is where she will need a coach who believes in her and can encourage her the most.

Things Bradley Classes commend you do to cope with First Stage:

• Change positions often! Try to get in positions that help gravity, so try not to lay on your back! Sit on a birth ball, sit leaning forward in the bed, get on hands and knees, squat, walk, lean over a chair, etc. 
• Urinate often! This will alleviate discomfort and wont hinder baby from coming down the birth canal. 
• Eat and Drink as needed. Not some big fatty meal, but small things that can give you some much needed energy. 
• Dim the lights so you can concentrate. 
• Abdominal breathing- not chest breathing. Deep breaths will calm you and short breaths will make you feel anxious. 
• Shower. This helps with the pain. 
• Try not to tense up! When a contraction comes on, try hard to relax all other muscles in your body. Tensing up makes the pain worse throughout. Having a coach that can look for tense muscles and gently remind you to relax will help.
• Do not get caught up on numbers. So much of birth is a mental thing. Dilation does not happen in a regularly scheduled pattern ( a 1cm an hour or something). Your body can go from 2 cm to 10 cm in 5 minutes if it wants to. So focus on these other things and believe your body knows what its doing. 
• Have a birth plan. This will help you remain focused during this time. To see ours, click here. (If you have any questions about ours, just let me know). Your birth plan can be very simple or complex. But having it will enable you to focus on the task at hand and not have to make decisions on the fly. Just google birth plan and you will get all kinds of info on this. 

So, current moms- what else should be know about First Stage Labor? 

Ill be back soon to discuss Second Stage Labor, which includes pushing baby out and delivering the placenta (yes you have to do this too and no one tells you about it!). 

- Mrs.Pate via my iPhone

40 Weeks and Counting...

How far along: 40 Weeks

Total Weight Gained: 33 lbs (started 107, currently 140) 

Sleep: The last few nights have been very rough! I cant sleep on my left side or back without getting this weird chest pain, so I have been sleeping on my right side until I cant take it anymore then sleeping sitting up. Fun! 

Best Moment of the Week:  Making it to 40 weeks! I know due dates can be off, but I think ours is probably pretty close (now whether he wants to come close to it is a different story). All along I said I really wanted him to stay in for at least 40 weeks to fully develop, and I am overjoyed that he did!   

Movement: Yes yes, little Griffin is still moving often. He moves all day, but typically when I lay down he kinda goes nuts! Ha!     

Food Cravings: N/A    

Food Aversions: N/A

Symptoms: Huffing and puffing, cannot bend over, waddling majorly, sore tailbone, tired tired tired, pee all the time, hardening of the stomach, lower back pain ... 

What I miss: Being able to bend over & breathe! Ha!

What I'm looking forward to: D-Day (as in delivery day!)! There are no more events and we are all setup, so now it is just a waiting game till Griffin decides it is time to make his debut! 

Other news: 

• My due date has officially come and gone... and I am not gonna lie- I struggled yesterday. I do not know if it was just the anxiousness of knowing it was the "date" or because I wasnt feeling so great, but I did not like most of yesterday. It was just mentally and emotionally hard. I lost a lot of resolve and was just moping around wishing baby would come out. Mr.Pate was like, "What in the world? Yesterday you were fine to go another 2 weeks?!" And he was right. I am feeling back to normal mostly today. I still cant sleep on my left side, but if I have to deal with that for 2 weeks or so then it wont be the worst thing in the world. I think it was also because I didnt have much to do, so it just drug by. But by the afternoon we went and did stuff and went to a friends house and that helped a ton! 
• As for labor signs, my belly is still randomly hardening up. But it is very sporadic and not something worth timing at this point. And I still dont feel it on the inside either. My lower back has been on and off achy, but again not in a consistent pattern. I'll keep you posted, dont worry! 
• We got Mr.Pate a new grill yesterday! Yay! We have been planning to buy him one since Spring, but he was just slow about it. Well it turns out that was a good thing bc we ended up getting the one he wanted like $150 cheaper than its regular price. Woo Hoo! Our grill was pretty shot, so I am glad we got this one. I love when we grill, and I told him that before Baby came we needed a dependable one bc I sure wasnt going to be cooking! Ha! 
• We hung out with the Winkler's last night, and that was very encouraging! Yay for last minute plans!
• My family is coming up today & tomorrow to hangout and celebrate summer! We are just going to be swimming and maybe going to Beach Bend Park! Yay!!! It will be the first "Summery" activity we have done all summer. 
• I have been reviewing notes and reading a book called "Active Birth" this week. I highly recommend it. I will try to get some main points and tips blogged soon. 
• So we are basically rooting for Griffin to either come out today or tomorrow, or wait until next Monday the 11th, because Dr.Gass leaves on the 5th and gets back on the 11th! Pray for that! 

Gender & Name: It's a Boy! Griffin Alan Pate

Milestones:
According to Babycenter.com :  It's hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds (a small pumpkin) and is about 20 inches long. His skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a bit if it's a snug fit through the birth canal during labor. This so-called "molding" is the reason your baby's noggin may look a little conehead-ish after birth. Rest assured — it's normal and temporary.

Breaking the silence

Today is my due date, and to relieve the inquiring minds I thought I would post to let you know that as of now- no Griffin.

I know when I know someone having a baby, I start stalking their blog or facebook to see I they have had them yet. So I didn't want to blog to stay silent and keep you guessing. I really don't have much to say though.

I tried hard to sleep in today. I figured I need to do that as much as I can right now. But between it being a beautiful sunny day and me being unable to get comfortable, I didnt end up sleeping much. But I laid there and went in and out of sleep a few times and managed to stay in bed till 11am. Pretty good.

Today has dragged on. I don't feel all that great. My back is actually achy, and my stomach does keep getting rock hard- but I don't feel anything when it does it I just notice by feeling from the outside. I have also had random chest pains on and off all morning. Weird. So it's just a weird day bc I don't feel great like normal, but what I am feeling doesn't match any descriptions people give for contractions or labor. We will just see I guess.

I am trying to clean and find stuff to do. Luckily, my family is coming tomorrow and monday, so they'll keep me plenty busy then!

That's us so far on Griffin's due date. Let's see how this story unfolds...


- Mrs.Pate via my iPhone