Archive for the ‘pregnancy’ Category

I had a midwife appointment on December 23rd and I was a week overdue so they gave me a non stress test, which Xander passed with flying colors.  Then they wanted to do an ultrasound of the fluid level and it said I was a little low.  The doctor who performed the ultrasound came into the room saying “so when are you planning on inducing?”, total bull in my opinion there was no reason to medically induce and after he found the low fluid he said he wanted me to induce that day.  Which I was not going to do, at least medically.  So on the way home we called Dave’s mom and told her how it went and she told me she used castor oil to induce with one of her kiddos, and since she was like the 5th person who told me about this method I decided to give it a try.

So for my last meal I had some McDonald’s and I mixed the castor oil in my strawberry shake.  I took all of this about 8pm and nothing really happened so I went to bed around 10:30 since I was so tired.  Then I woke up at 2am with stomach cramps and after several hours of being up and down and up and down in the bathroom I believe that labor started around 5:30-6am.  I woke Dave up around 7:30 am, I had been timing the contractions at 3 minutes apart but they weren’t very strong.  I keep questioning whether it was really labor or not, I have a fairly high pain tolerance and was just in disbelief that it was really happening.  But at 8:30 I called my mom and dad to let them know something was happening but I didn’t want them to come over yet.  Since I hadn’t slept all night Dave talked me into laying down and at least dozing for some time to see what happened if the contractions stopped or if they picked up. I laid down for about an hour and a half.  When I got up they were stronger and I called the midwife who suggested I take a bath and try to relax.  I called my mom to come over around noon and we left to go to the birth center around 2:30, by this time the contractions were getting really strong still 3 minutes apart and the car ride was really bad.  I thought I was going to die in the car it was like being in a cage.

Once we were in the hospital I had a whole zoo of visitors including my mom and dad, Dave’s mom and rich, Erin, Josh, Eric and Rebbecca, even grandma Nancy came.  But I didn’t really notice or care that any of them were there, I continued to labor for the rest of the day into the night.  I walked the halls and bounced on a ball, I sat in a squatting chair and hung out in the shower with almost no concept of time.  At one point I ate two grilled cheese sandwiches while in the shower with Dave.  And right before labor got intense Dave and I were in the shower talking about how it really wasn’t that bad after all.  Then i got in the tub.

This is where it got rough, right before getting in the tub she checked me and I was dilated to 6.  I got in the tub and for the first 10-15 minutes it felt really nice but suddenly it got really hot in the room and my body was doing something I had never felt before and didn’t understand.  It was pushing.  I demanded to get out of the tub know and I wanted to be checked, I was afraid that I would be pushing against a not fully opened cervix and it would swell it.

As I got out of the tub my water broke with a splash all over the floor and everyone cheered.  Then Sarah checked me and I was a 10 and ready to push, 35 minutes after getting in the tub.  I pushed on my knees leaning over the bed for about an hour and then rolled over because my legs fell asleep and only 30 minutes after rolling over Xander Kent Hoekzema was born at 11:53pm December 24th.

It was amazing and I would do it all over again, totally natural and I have been loving every minute since.

Xander 8lbs 9oz 21inches born 7 minutes before Christmas.

From Xander

Today is Xander’s due date! It’s really exciting to think that I have baked this sweet little babe for a full 40 weeks now, but I’m totally ready to meet him.

I have been feeling nauseous all day and this morning I was really crampy. Hopefully this is my prelabor and we will be moving things along at some time today.

So my due date is almost officially here, tomorrow is Xander’s due date!  For being 40 weeks pregnant I feel pretty darn good.  Below is a list of some updates with me and a few pictures.

• I sleep well most nights
• I had about 4 hours of practice contractions on Sunday, 8-10 minutes appart lasting about 1.16 minutes each
• There is a new midwife in my practice and I really like her
• With only 8 days until Christmas we are not planning on going out for the holiday
• I feel blessed every night I get a full night of sleep

Here is my glorious belly yesterday 40 weeks pregnant

From Baby Xander Kent Hoekzema

Here is the underside of my glorious belly at 40 weeks pregnant

From Baby Xander Kent Hoekzema

Hello Everyone sorry it’s been so long since my last post at about 33 weeks. Wow that seems like so long ago. I have some new pictures from today and a little update.

• I am officially full term now, 37 weeks, although the due date isn’t until December 17th.
• I was checked at 35 week appointment and she said I was 80% effaced and not dilated at all
• I started evening prime rose oil 1,000mg a day orally at 35 weeks, added 500mg vaginally at 36weeks and will probably increase this after my appointment next week. I also should be walking every day and spending lots of time on the birthing ball i.e. exercise ball to help the baby move down.
• I am tired of being uncomfortable in pants that aren’t yoga pants
• My hips hurt a lot, but besides those two downs I feel really good as long as I get in an afternoon nap

Here is my 37 week picture with exposed belly, if you look close you can see my small spots that are stretch marks on my hips.

Here is another shot of me from the side with my shirt down.

Hello All, Sorry I haven’t been posting a bunch lately as you all know I have been crazy busy and just as tired as could be.  I hope my energy level goes back to being kind of normal after I have the baby.   Since my last post I have grown a ton and I also had a baby shower!

The Shower was amazing and it was so great to get to see everyone, I really do miss seeing everyone.  It seems like since the wedding we have been so crazy busy I haven’t been able to really hang out with anyone.  Well the shower went off without a hitch and everything was so beautiful and wonderful, I’m so grateful for my mom, my grandma and Kathy without those three women I just don’t know where I would be, lol. For the shower theme we had a tea party, where we gave everyone a tea cup to take home and all the gifts were tea sets that we had purchased to give away.  Kathy organized all the games and they were wonderful and perfectly tasteful, which I really appreciate.

I had a third ultrasound today, apparently at my 20 week ultrasound my placenta was low so they wanted to recheck it.  Well everything looks great the placenta has moved up, there is lots of fluid and the baby weighs 5.2 lbs according to the ultrasound.  If you read the averages for this week most say he should be around 4.4lbs so he is a big little boy.  The doctor thinks I will be delivering right on or around my due date, for some reason D has been thinking I’m going to have a November baby and I’m hoping for right on my due date so hopefully not a Christmas or Christmas Eve baby.

Here are some pictures of me:

33 weeks pregnant from the side

33 weeks pregnant from the front

My maternity halloween costume

Xander at 33 weeks gestation

Here I am at 29 weeks, I’m in the nursery with our crib that we put up and had to take right down again because of a recall.

Here I am at 30 weeks pregnant with some wild hair!

So there has been many crazy changes happening with me lately, no I didn’t get married again or anything like that but I am only 10 weeks away from changing my life forever.

In preparation for my upcoming motherhood, I decided I should make some real in the flesh friends who are like me.  So I went out on the internet to discover what was out there and where I could meet people, something that has always been a point of contention with me I have a hard time making long term friends.  I don’t think I’m really that good at it although I would love to be and I strive every day to be a better friend. I digress.  So in my exhaustive search of the web I find my local Le Leche League meeting.  So on Monday at 7 I mustard all the courage I had and headed over to the meeting leaders house, fighting off a mild panic attach the whole time.  I mean really I was walking into a complete strangers house to a meeting for breastfeeding moms and I’m not even a mom yet.  But I arrived and walked in, to my utter delight everyone was fantastic!  There was six wonderful women their, including myself, and although I was the only pregnant woman their everyone was really great and it was almost like having a in life Mothering.com discussion.

Speaking about preparation  at my last midwife appointment I took my one hour gestational diabetes screening, well yesterday I got a call from the office.  I failed, they want your blood sugar at the end of an hour to be 138 or less and I was at 177.  Now this doesn’t mean I have GD, it does mean that I have to take a 3 hour test.  I’m quite bummed out about this but it’s not the end of the world.

On a plus note I have found my Halloween costume, I’m going to be a Pumpkin Smuggler!  I will get lots of pictures I have a party to go to on the 18th and on the 24th.

So I’m 28 weeks and that means no matter who you are I’m in my third trimester! Holy cow how in the world did that happen so quickly?

At breakfast last weekend a total stranger, the waitress, asked me when I was due!  That means that I am past that point where I just look fat and personally for me I think it’s been a long time coming.  I feel like this baby is growing around my midsection instead of out so I still don’t feel or look that large.  Anyway back to the story at hand, so I tell her I’m due in December and she says to me “oh my first son was born on December 17th” I was like OMG that is my due date and she totally gave us a deal on our breakfast because of it.

Below is a picture of me two days ago, pardon the carrot on the mouth I don’t know why I didn’t take it out.  But I have a little belly now for sure.  I couldn’t really tell you where 30 lbs or so have gone so far.  I have decided that it’s probably best for me to stop weighing myself and just let the midwife do it when I see them.  I should just focus on eating healthy foods every day and growing a big baby.

Here I am 21lbs up and 23 weeks pregnant! Althought to me I don’t really think I look like I have gained 21 lbs.

From Baby Hoekzema

I couldn’t figure out what to do with my arm so I was in the process of moving it up out of the way, lol.

From Baby Hoekzema

I look strange from this angle and defiantly big.

From Baby Hoekzema

I look much smaller when my belly isn’t exposed. I just bought a prego bikini for our honeymoon trip to Puerto Rico and I might have to snap some pics with it on to show you and or show me.

My dear friend Nicole asked me the other day, “so are you enjoying being able to eat more?”

This started me thinking, I have gained a TON of weight so far and for only being 23 weeks pregnant I have a lot of weight gain ahead of me.  I am going to really have to strap down on my diet and what I consume every day.

I started this the day I found out I was pregnant at 157 pounds, today I got on the scale and I weighed 178 pounds.  That is how much some people should gain in the whole pregnancy I am hardly half way there.   If I continue to gain at this pace I will gain a total of almost 40lbs!  That is crazy amount of weight and it’s going to be so hard to loose after ward.  My mom told me she never lost any weight after having me!  I think about weight all the time, but I am hungry like all the time.  I eat like 6 times a day.  And the only time I eat things I shouldn’t is my occasional ice cream at night and it’s light ice cream.  I am eating lots of fruit and vegetables whole grains and protein.  It just makes me want to cry.