Dear Little One,
One of the reasons I started this blog was because I was surprised by the little that your grandparents remember about their pregnancies with your dad, your uncle, your aunt and me. They don't remember, for instance, whether we came before, after or on our due dates. I keep wanting them to know these things, but I'm sure without this blog I'd forget too. That said, I find it difficult to believe that I would forget this long period of anticipation. Maybe in 30 years, though, or whenever you find yourself wanting to know, I'll need reminding. So here's the reminder. As of 10:49 on the day you are "due," there's no sign at all of your coming.
I'm really pretty okay about that. I'm not impatient or especially uncomfortable. I'm grateful for every step of your dad's increasing closeness to readiness for paternity leave. He's really close to ready now. He has about 1hr. left on one case, and I hestitate to estimate how long he has left on the other, but the important thing is that if he were not able to finish it before you come, with this case it would be okay.
I still have a bunch of projects in my personal agenda which make me a little nuts if I think much about them. If nothing else they may help us pass the time, but the presence of a little chaos is probably more valuable than project completion, as it is a lesson in the unavoidable that it is not always possible to feel totally ready for things. I've been getting used to that idea with law school exams for the last 3 years (it's possible to make one's self crazy coming up with deeper and deeper knowledge of the law, and possible to blow an exam by indulging too much in the project of learning and writing about that), and now I can get used to it with waiting for a baby. I never had to deal with this feeling before law school. Before law school, I had the very comforting experience of being able to know with confidence that I was "ready" and "prepared" for every big-deal thing that happened in my life. No more! Your dad doesn't seem to be afflicted with the same desire for "readiness" that I have. I have a feeling his approach and mine are probably both extremes that, if blended properly, could have a very sanifying effect.
In other sanifying (yes, I made that word up, don't learn it for the GRE or SAT) events in our lives, your grandmother (my side) is on her way here. If you come soon, great! She's well prepared; if you don't come soon, we'll enjoy hanging out time, do some projects, and we'll take her to B&E's mardi gras party on Saturday and to church on Sunday.
By the way, have you considered whether you really want to be born on Ash Wednesday? Do you want to be born in Lent at all? If you don't, arrival by Tuesday would be a very good idea. No pressure, it's still totally up to you. Just food for thought.
Love, Mom
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Intimidated by Eggplant
Our friends Ed and Sarah told us about an eggplant parmesan recipe that women eat to induce labor. I'm intrigued. If you're old enough to read this, you're old enough to know that I have ZERO domestic skills, including in the kitchen; so I'm not sure I'm going to try this. But I was curious enough to track down the recipe on the internet, and I'm posting it here because (a) I might want to try this in a few days, and (b) anyone who reads this who has more confidence or bravery in the kitchen than I do at the moment may find it useful. So, copied and pasted info below.
For more than twenty years, women have gone to Scalini's Italian restaurant in Cobb County, Georgia, with one thing on their minds: To go into labor. They always order the Eggplant Parmesan, which, so far, has helped encourage more than 300 babies to come into the world within 48 hours of their mom eating the meal.
The restaurant promises results within two days. If you haven't had your baby by then, expectant moms get a gift certificate for another try.
The chefs at Scalini's shared their recipe with us. If it doesn't work, sorry, there's no gift certificate -- but you can use the recipe again, absolutely free of charge. (For best results, don't try it until your due date.)
Eggplant Parmesan alla Scalini's Ingredients:3 medium size eggplants1 cup of flour6 eggs, beaten4 cups fine Italian bread crumbs, seasonedOlive oil for sautéing8 cups of marinara sauce*1/2 cup of grated Romano cheese1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese1/2 lbs of mozzarella cheese shredded2 cups of ricotta cheese
Instructions:After you wash the eggplant, slice them into 1/4 inch thick slices. You may choose to peel the eggplant before you slice it, however you may want to leave the skin on since the skin contains a lot of vitamins. Place the eggplant slices on a layer of paper towels and sprinkle with a little salt, then cover with another layer of paper towels and hold it down with something heavy. This will drain the excess moisture. Let them set for about an hour.
Working with one slice of eggplant at a time, dust with flour, then dip in beaten eggs, then coat well with bread crumbs. Saute' in preheated olive oil on both sides until golden brown.
In baking dish, alternate layers of marinara sauce, eggplant slices, ricotta, parmesan, and romano cheeses, until you fill the baking dish about an 1/8 inch from the top. Cover with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake for 25 minutes in 375 degree oven. Let set for 10 minutes before serving.
Scalini's Marinara Sauce 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic3 tablespoons of olive oil8 cups chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)1 cup onions chopped1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley1 teaspoon of oregano1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper1/8 cup of fresh chopped sweet basilPinch of thymePinch of rosemaryOne teaspoon salt One teaspoon black pepper
Lightly sauté the onions in olive oil in large pot for a few minutes. Add garlic and saute' another minute. Add tomatoes and bring sauce to boil, then turn heat to low. Add remaining ingredients, stir, cover and let simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.
Source
For more than twenty years, women have gone to Scalini's Italian restaurant in Cobb County, Georgia, with one thing on their minds: To go into labor. They always order the Eggplant Parmesan, which, so far, has helped encourage more than 300 babies to come into the world within 48 hours of their mom eating the meal.
The restaurant promises results within two days. If you haven't had your baby by then, expectant moms get a gift certificate for another try.
The chefs at Scalini's shared their recipe with us. If it doesn't work, sorry, there's no gift certificate -- but you can use the recipe again, absolutely free of charge. (For best results, don't try it until your due date.)
Eggplant Parmesan alla Scalini's Ingredients:3 medium size eggplants1 cup of flour6 eggs, beaten4 cups fine Italian bread crumbs, seasonedOlive oil for sautéing8 cups of marinara sauce*1/2 cup of grated Romano cheese1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese1/2 lbs of mozzarella cheese shredded2 cups of ricotta cheese
Instructions:After you wash the eggplant, slice them into 1/4 inch thick slices. You may choose to peel the eggplant before you slice it, however you may want to leave the skin on since the skin contains a lot of vitamins. Place the eggplant slices on a layer of paper towels and sprinkle with a little salt, then cover with another layer of paper towels and hold it down with something heavy. This will drain the excess moisture. Let them set for about an hour.
Working with one slice of eggplant at a time, dust with flour, then dip in beaten eggs, then coat well with bread crumbs. Saute' in preheated olive oil on both sides until golden brown.
In baking dish, alternate layers of marinara sauce, eggplant slices, ricotta, parmesan, and romano cheeses, until you fill the baking dish about an 1/8 inch from the top. Cover with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake for 25 minutes in 375 degree oven. Let set for 10 minutes before serving.
Scalini's Marinara Sauce 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic3 tablespoons of olive oil8 cups chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)1 cup onions chopped1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley1 teaspoon of oregano1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper1/8 cup of fresh chopped sweet basilPinch of thymePinch of rosemaryOne teaspoon salt One teaspoon black pepper
Lightly sauté the onions in olive oil in large pot for a few minutes. Add garlic and saute' another minute. Add tomatoes and bring sauce to boil, then turn heat to low. Add remaining ingredients, stir, cover and let simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.
Source
No progress at all.
Well little guy,
It seems likely that you will be a February baby. We just got back from the doctor, who did a cervical check, and it appears that I have not dilated one iota from the last cervical check, which was on the 7th or 8th of January. I'm simultaneously a little disappointed by that but also quite relieved. It was a lot easier for me to send your dad off to work for the afternoon because we were able to agree that tonight he will come to bed at a normal time - whether the work is done or not. If you should surprise us and come soon it will be fine. February 1 is still our favorite choice but it really doesn't matter anymore. All this said, the fact that I'm not progressing at all means that I'm now up for the natural induction route. I had already started a little bit of natural induction stuff. Specifically, I'm taking a tincture by Suki Roth called "Labor & Delivery Support" that our doula recommended. It's granola, no doubt, but I'm open. It has blue and black cohash in it, which are thought to be labor inducers, as well as a bunch of other things. I'm also drinking red rasberry leaf tea, which is said to help the cervix and uterus tone up for the work of labor, and is generally recommended for people trying to speed things along. Effectively today, though, it's no holds barred. I'm up for bumping around on gravel roads, power walking, eating spicy foods, and whatever else I come across from remotely reputable sources. The one thing I'm not desperate enough to try yet is castor oil, especially now that I just read about exactly what that entails. Yuck! The doctor even mentioned that as a possibility today, but I'm just not ready to go there. I'll stay tuned for your decision, but from out here, I'll try to make it a little easier for you to come whenever you think the time is right.
Much love and eagerness,
Mom
It seems likely that you will be a February baby. We just got back from the doctor, who did a cervical check, and it appears that I have not dilated one iota from the last cervical check, which was on the 7th or 8th of January. I'm simultaneously a little disappointed by that but also quite relieved. It was a lot easier for me to send your dad off to work for the afternoon because we were able to agree that tonight he will come to bed at a normal time - whether the work is done or not. If you should surprise us and come soon it will be fine. February 1 is still our favorite choice but it really doesn't matter anymore. All this said, the fact that I'm not progressing at all means that I'm now up for the natural induction route. I had already started a little bit of natural induction stuff. Specifically, I'm taking a tincture by Suki Roth called "Labor & Delivery Support" that our doula recommended. It's granola, no doubt, but I'm open. It has blue and black cohash in it, which are thought to be labor inducers, as well as a bunch of other things. I'm also drinking red rasberry leaf tea, which is said to help the cervix and uterus tone up for the work of labor, and is generally recommended for people trying to speed things along. Effectively today, though, it's no holds barred. I'm up for bumping around on gravel roads, power walking, eating spicy foods, and whatever else I come across from remotely reputable sources. The one thing I'm not desperate enough to try yet is castor oil, especially now that I just read about exactly what that entails. Yuck! The doctor even mentioned that as a possibility today, but I'm just not ready to go there. I'll stay tuned for your decision, but from out here, I'll try to make it a little easier for you to come whenever you think the time is right.
Much love and eagerness,
Mom
2 days from due date and readiness is still an arm's length away
Well little one,
Readiness is just around the corner. It's not here, which had been our goal, but it's close. Yesterday was supposed to be your dad's last full day of work. By "full day" that seems to mean "period of 24 hours of work." That is, he didn't come to bed this morning until 4:30am, nor did he come to bed yesterday morning until 4:30am. He's been up working. His work isn't finished yet so after the doctor's appointment that we have to leave for in 15 minutes, he'll return to working (at his office) and will make a home visit this afternoon. He says he thinks he'll get the case he's currently working on transferred this afternoon, which would be really good. It's the second to last case. The other one is less intense and doesn't require the same amount of attention.
After that false alarm the other day, my mom decided that assuming you haven't arrived by Thursday, she's just going to leave Macon after her Thursday morning class and to come to Chapel Hill. She figures she'll just wait for you here as opposed to waiting for you in Macon. I like that idea. It relieves me of the stressful decision of telling her "yes, it's time; come now" or "no, I don't think this is the real thing yet; come later."
You could be here by then, though. There's really no telling. That's the wildness of this whole thing.
Readiness is just around the corner. It's not here, which had been our goal, but it's close. Yesterday was supposed to be your dad's last full day of work. By "full day" that seems to mean "period of 24 hours of work." That is, he didn't come to bed this morning until 4:30am, nor did he come to bed yesterday morning until 4:30am. He's been up working. His work isn't finished yet so after the doctor's appointment that we have to leave for in 15 minutes, he'll return to working (at his office) and will make a home visit this afternoon. He says he thinks he'll get the case he's currently working on transferred this afternoon, which would be really good. It's the second to last case. The other one is less intense and doesn't require the same amount of attention.
After that false alarm the other day, my mom decided that assuming you haven't arrived by Thursday, she's just going to leave Macon after her Thursday morning class and to come to Chapel Hill. She figures she'll just wait for you here as opposed to waiting for you in Macon. I like that idea. It relieves me of the stressful decision of telling her "yes, it's time; come now" or "no, I don't think this is the real thing yet; come later."
You could be here by then, though. There's really no telling. That's the wildness of this whole thing.
Monday, January 28, 2008
More late-pregnancy body weirdness
That episode of "more than over-eagerness" that I had last Wednesday night reappeared last night and I must say, this is not amusing. We were out running errands before church and I had some very long, very intense episodes of severe discomfort, mostly focused in my lower back and also present in my low abdomen. They were severe enough that my eyes watered and we had to abort our plans to go to church. This was somewhat more intense than the version of this experience I had on Wednesday. I don't recall nausea that time, and this time I was somewhat nauseous.
Contractions certainly do occur during these episodes, but they happen painlessly all the time, and even during these episodes of discomfort, they don't appear to be all that related to the episodes. The episodes last for 6-10 minutes and when they abate, they don't leave me feeling normal, as I understand that contractions would normally do; instead, they leave me feeling a duller, lower-grade ache in the interim. Each of the two times, these episodes have intensified and waned over the course of about an hour. Then, I return to absolute normal.
I'd be curious to know if anyone has any thoughts on what these episodes are and whether they serve some useful purpose. Last night, I called Labor and Delivery to ask what this was. (My mom, sister, and soon-to-be brother-in-law will all be coming from about 8 hours away, and I want to give them as much notice as possible once I figure out that I'm really in labor - whenever that happens - so I thought calling labor and delivery might help me to clear that up.)
The nurse listened as I described this experience, and she said that it sounded like early labor but she definately didn't feel confident enough about it that I should call in my family. (Actually, my mother called during one of the more intense episodes of pain, so she and my sister were already on alert.) But she said that sometimes people have something come on strong like this, then the contractions will "peeter out" and not come again for a long while. She called this "latent early labor." But I'm still not at all sure that the pain came from the contractions. It seemed more to me that the contractions were just happening from time to time amid the pain. The nurse said that if this is, indeed, "latent early labor" it could last for days, and I suppose that I won't have any clarity on those episodes until I have a more normal experience of labor and can compare them.
Contractions certainly do occur during these episodes, but they happen painlessly all the time, and even during these episodes of discomfort, they don't appear to be all that related to the episodes. The episodes last for 6-10 minutes and when they abate, they don't leave me feeling normal, as I understand that contractions would normally do; instead, they leave me feeling a duller, lower-grade ache in the interim. Each of the two times, these episodes have intensified and waned over the course of about an hour. Then, I return to absolute normal.
I'd be curious to know if anyone has any thoughts on what these episodes are and whether they serve some useful purpose. Last night, I called Labor and Delivery to ask what this was. (My mom, sister, and soon-to-be brother-in-law will all be coming from about 8 hours away, and I want to give them as much notice as possible once I figure out that I'm really in labor - whenever that happens - so I thought calling labor and delivery might help me to clear that up.)
The nurse listened as I described this experience, and she said that it sounded like early labor but she definately didn't feel confident enough about it that I should call in my family. (Actually, my mother called during one of the more intense episodes of pain, so she and my sister were already on alert.) But she said that sometimes people have something come on strong like this, then the contractions will "peeter out" and not come again for a long while. She called this "latent early labor." But I'm still not at all sure that the pain came from the contractions. It seemed more to me that the contractions were just happening from time to time amid the pain. The nurse said that if this is, indeed, "latent early labor" it could last for days, and I suppose that I won't have any clarity on those episodes until I have a more normal experience of labor and can compare them.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Carseats
Wow, there's a lot to learn about car seats. I had no idea. But today we took both cars to the Carrboro Fire Department to have car seat bases installed in both cars, and to learn how to properly use the car seat itself. We chose to go to this particular fire department because we'd heard from some friends that they really spend time with you there and that they really teach the important stuff about car seat safety. I'm so glad we went there because I NEVER would have gotten it all right.
While we were there, they told us that lots of fire departments in the surrounding areas (including Wake Co.) are getting out of helping with car seat installations and at other places (e.g., Chapel Hill) they will slap the seat into the car for you but they don't teach the important stuff. But the folks at Carrboro are really eager and excited to help. For the Triangle area expecting parents who read this blog, here's some info for you in case you decide to get your car seats inspected there.
Telephone: 919-918-7347
Email: fire@ci.carrboro.nc.us
Location: Adjacent to Town Hall, 301 W. Main St., 27510
From http://www.carrborofire.org/carseats.htm:
The Carrboro Fire-Rescue Department is proud to be a permanent checking station for child passenger safety seats. This service is availble to the entire Carrboro community and all other surrounding communities. We strongly encourage everyone to come by to have their child safety seat inspected for safety and correct installtion.
Our Regular Hours of Operation: Saturdays, 9:30am to 11:30am. However, we are available on all other days to perform safety checks, schedule and time permitting. If you would like to have your car seat installation checked on a particular day and time, feel free to fill out our online appointment form to schedule a time, or you may call ahead to arrange a time. The number to call for an appointment is 919-918-7347.
While we were there, they told us that lots of fire departments in the surrounding areas (including Wake Co.) are getting out of helping with car seat installations and at other places (e.g., Chapel Hill) they will slap the seat into the car for you but they don't teach the important stuff. But the folks at Carrboro are really eager and excited to help. For the Triangle area expecting parents who read this blog, here's some info for you in case you decide to get your car seats inspected there.
Telephone: 919-918-7347
Email: fire@ci.carrboro.nc.us
Location: Adjacent to Town Hall, 301 W. Main St., 27510
From http://www.carrborofire.org/carseats.htm:
The Carrboro Fire-Rescue Department is proud to be a permanent checking station for child passenger safety seats. This service is availble to the entire Carrboro community and all other surrounding communities. We strongly encourage everyone to come by to have their child safety seat inspected for safety and correct installtion.
Our Regular Hours of Operation: Saturdays, 9:30am to 11:30am. However, we are available on all other days to perform safety checks, schedule and time permitting. If you would like to have your car seat installation checked on a particular day and time, feel free to fill out our online appointment form to schedule a time, or you may call ahead to arrange a time. The number to call for an appointment is 919-918-7347.
About the Program
The first and most important goal of the program is to have every child who arrives at our station leave safer than when he or she came. Thus every child safety seat check we complete strives for the following:
- Ensure the child has an appropriate seat for their age, weight, size, and the vehicle they will be riding in.
- Educate the parents, guardians, and anyone who will be transporting the child regarding the best practices to follow when installing the seat in their car.
- Demonstrate the proper way to secure a child in the seat.
- Check for any manufacturer recalls, safety, or defect issues.
- Ensure compatibility between the car seat and the vehicle.
- Provide additional information on other agencies's child safety programs.
Installing a Child Safety Seat Is Not a Simple Task
Persons who go about the task of properly installing a car seat are often surprised to discover that the process is anything but straightforward. Our nationally certified technicians undergo 40 hours of training, and they must recertify every two years. At a miniumum, our firefighters must complete a 16 hour course before participating in a child safety seat check. Installing a car seat requires such extensive training because every car is different and every car seat is different. Thus, how one installs the same car seat in one vehicle may be quite different in another. Additionally, the type of seat appropriate for a child will change several times as the child grows and develops. All of these factors complicate the installation process, and thus a correct installtion is achieved only when great care is taken.
Even with all the best intentions on the part of parents and caregivers, statistics have shown that more than 90% of the car seats brought into checking stations are installed incorrectly. A correct installtion is of paramount importance because if a seat is not correctly installed, and the child is not correctly strapped into the seat, it will fail to provide the level of safety and protection it was designed to afford in the event of a wreck.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Your first decision!
I read recently that some studies indicate that the baby him/herself actually somehow gets the labor process started. I think that’s so cool - your first decision! And I want you to make that decision totally based on when you’re ready to come, so the fact that you aren’t here yet is a-okay by me. I do have very unpleasant lower back pain as I type this, and it woke me up several hours ago and kept me awake for the rest of the wee-hours of morning. But I signed up for this, and I also don’t want to sound like I’m rushing you out of there. Actually, I find myself feeling just a tiny bit (very tiny bit) sentimental. After all, I don’t expect to be pregnant more than one more time in my life, and this has been a very special journey. But for my readiness to meet you, your dad’s readiness to share in care for you and relationship with you, and the fact that I’m physically uncomfortable, I wouldn’t be at all eager for you to exit my womb. That said, science says you will and medicine says you should come out of there in the next three weeks. (Welcome to the 40th week of pregnancy!) So, I thought I’d give you the pro’s and con’s of a few of the upcoming possibilities.
January 25, 2008 – that’s today. Your dad is in court all morning and we have a lunch date with Ed and Sarah around 11:30, so if you decided to come in the next few hours it might be a touch inconvenient. However, we have no need for you to be convenient; children are, by their nature, inconvenient and that’s as it should be. No worries. Also a “convenience” matter, but also one of sentiment, is that your grandmother on my side is in Texas and would not be able to get here if you came today. If you hang on past tomorrow, she’ll be able to come. But warning: our doula works today and we’d have to get a back-up doula if you came today.
January 26, 2008 – that’s tomorrow. Tomorrow would be fine, especially if you could wait until afternoon. I say that because we forgot (like totally irresponsible, non-parental people) to take your car seat to be installed/inspected at the Carrboro Fire Department last Saturday. They do car seat stuff on Saturday mornings, and your dad and I just completely forgot about it. We won’t be forgetting tomorrow, I assure you! So, hanging on past tomorrow is ideal. We really want you to have a perfectly installed car ride for the way home, so perhaps you should hangout inside until then. At this point, our doula will be working as well, so we’ll have a sub if you come tomorrow.
January 27, 2008 – that’s Sunday. Sunday is church day, so while the chances of your grandmother coming are great, the chances of our priest coming are bad. She’s very special to us and if she can’t come that will be a kind of a bummer, but we’ll get over our disappointment and be very happy to meet you! The other person who wouldn’t be able to join us is our doula, since she’ll be traveling for 3 days. She’ll actually be unavailable until the 30th, so if you’re invested in Andee being with us, hangout a little while.
January 28, 2008 – this is Monday, your dad’s last official day of work. He has a meeting to go to, and if I know him, he’ll be running on FUMES because if you haven’t come yet, he’ll spend the whole weekend working on dictation. This job as a child protective services/foster care social worker has been extremely fulfilling, but also extremely taxing on him. He hasn’t had a decent night’s sleep in weeks. Getting all of his cases transferred before paternity leave is hard for him because (a) there’s an enormous amount of paperwork to do, and (b) he’s become extremely attached to his families. For anyone out there who has ever wondered about the people who do child protection work, know that at least where your dad is concerned, he loves the parents as well as the children by the time he’s gotten into the case, and every bump or step along the road has emotional implications for the social worker as well as for the families. Anyway, the point for you to know is that your dad will really be elated to meet you, but don’t take it personally if he’s a little more disoriented and wiped out than he otherwise would be. If you are able to wait a couple days longer, that would be really nice because I’d like for him to be able to be fully rested and totally present to the birthing experience.
January 29, 2008 – One of my classmates from school says that this is his birthday, and if he’s any indication of what this birthday produces, this day would be an excellent choice. Be born today! It has the added benefit of being the day of the Florida primary. Your dad and I would have at least one diversion to help us pass the time through labor pains. I’m not sure if the voice of Larry King is really the last thing you want to have heard from the womb, though.
January 30, 2008 – This is also the birthday of someone we know and love. You’ll know her, Barbara, because she has offered to babysit for you. You’ll like her a lot, I think. Anyway, if she is an indication of what happens from being born on 1/30, go for it!
January 31, 2008 – This is your due date, but that’s the only thing recommending it. It also has the advantage that your dad should be fully rested up by then.
February 1, 2008 – Not that it matters, but this is my favorite option. (1) The doctor who has cared for us all along will be on call and she would be able to deliver you (assuming there’s no one else in need of an emergency c-section or anything); (2) Andee, our doula, will be back and available; (3) your dad should be well rested by then; (4) by this point, the sooner you come the better because your dad’s paternity leave clock will be ticking and the time grows ever closer till I start my new job as an in-home family therapist.
February 3, 2008 – Totally irrelevant in my opinion, but it is Superbowl Sunday, and you might want to know that.
February 5, 2008 – This is Super Tuesday. 22 primary elections will take place on this day, and your dad and I are watching the primaries with bated breath, so if you’re of a political mind, perhaps you could be some candidate’s good-luck charm. Again, not especially relevant in the short-term of your life, but I’m sure we’ll attribute some meaning to it if you’re born on that day.
So there is some relevant information about when you might consider coming. I hope that you’ve got some good advisers in there with you letting you know what other factors you might want to consider. Know that your dad and I will be eager and ready for you whenever you come. We trust your wisdom and look forward to meeting you really soon.
Much love, Mom
January 25, 2008 – that’s today. Your dad is in court all morning and we have a lunch date with Ed and Sarah around 11:30, so if you decided to come in the next few hours it might be a touch inconvenient. However, we have no need for you to be convenient; children are, by their nature, inconvenient and that’s as it should be. No worries. Also a “convenience” matter, but also one of sentiment, is that your grandmother on my side is in Texas and would not be able to get here if you came today. If you hang on past tomorrow, she’ll be able to come. But warning: our doula works today and we’d have to get a back-up doula if you came today.
January 26, 2008 – that’s tomorrow. Tomorrow would be fine, especially if you could wait until afternoon. I say that because we forgot (like totally irresponsible, non-parental people) to take your car seat to be installed/inspected at the Carrboro Fire Department last Saturday. They do car seat stuff on Saturday mornings, and your dad and I just completely forgot about it. We won’t be forgetting tomorrow, I assure you! So, hanging on past tomorrow is ideal. We really want you to have a perfectly installed car ride for the way home, so perhaps you should hangout inside until then. At this point, our doula will be working as well, so we’ll have a sub if you come tomorrow.
January 27, 2008 – that’s Sunday. Sunday is church day, so while the chances of your grandmother coming are great, the chances of our priest coming are bad. She’s very special to us and if she can’t come that will be a kind of a bummer, but we’ll get over our disappointment and be very happy to meet you! The other person who wouldn’t be able to join us is our doula, since she’ll be traveling for 3 days. She’ll actually be unavailable until the 30th, so if you’re invested in Andee being with us, hangout a little while.
January 28, 2008 – this is Monday, your dad’s last official day of work. He has a meeting to go to, and if I know him, he’ll be running on FUMES because if you haven’t come yet, he’ll spend the whole weekend working on dictation. This job as a child protective services/foster care social worker has been extremely fulfilling, but also extremely taxing on him. He hasn’t had a decent night’s sleep in weeks. Getting all of his cases transferred before paternity leave is hard for him because (a) there’s an enormous amount of paperwork to do, and (b) he’s become extremely attached to his families. For anyone out there who has ever wondered about the people who do child protection work, know that at least where your dad is concerned, he loves the parents as well as the children by the time he’s gotten into the case, and every bump or step along the road has emotional implications for the social worker as well as for the families. Anyway, the point for you to know is that your dad will really be elated to meet you, but don’t take it personally if he’s a little more disoriented and wiped out than he otherwise would be. If you are able to wait a couple days longer, that would be really nice because I’d like for him to be able to be fully rested and totally present to the birthing experience.
January 29, 2008 – One of my classmates from school says that this is his birthday, and if he’s any indication of what this birthday produces, this day would be an excellent choice. Be born today! It has the added benefit of being the day of the Florida primary. Your dad and I would have at least one diversion to help us pass the time through labor pains. I’m not sure if the voice of Larry King is really the last thing you want to have heard from the womb, though.
January 30, 2008 – This is also the birthday of someone we know and love. You’ll know her, Barbara, because she has offered to babysit for you. You’ll like her a lot, I think. Anyway, if she is an indication of what happens from being born on 1/30, go for it!
January 31, 2008 – This is your due date, but that’s the only thing recommending it. It also has the advantage that your dad should be fully rested up by then.
February 1, 2008 – Not that it matters, but this is my favorite option. (1) The doctor who has cared for us all along will be on call and she would be able to deliver you (assuming there’s no one else in need of an emergency c-section or anything); (2) Andee, our doula, will be back and available; (3) your dad should be well rested by then; (4) by this point, the sooner you come the better because your dad’s paternity leave clock will be ticking and the time grows ever closer till I start my new job as an in-home family therapist.
February 3, 2008 – Totally irrelevant in my opinion, but it is Superbowl Sunday, and you might want to know that.
February 5, 2008 – This is Super Tuesday. 22 primary elections will take place on this day, and your dad and I are watching the primaries with bated breath, so if you’re of a political mind, perhaps you could be some candidate’s good-luck charm. Again, not especially relevant in the short-term of your life, but I’m sure we’ll attribute some meaning to it if you’re born on that day.
So there is some relevant information about when you might consider coming. I hope that you’ve got some good advisers in there with you letting you know what other factors you might want to consider. Know that your dad and I will be eager and ready for you whenever you come. We trust your wisdom and look forward to meeting you really soon.
Much love, Mom
Thursday, January 24, 2008
That was more than over-eagerness
So yesterday I posted that I'd felt a lot of these strange, not wholly miserable sensations at the dog park. I wondered what they were but only in an intrigued, curious sort of way. Then last night, I went to your dad's office, and I helped him with some sorting and other tidying tasks. I got some wildly uncomfortable pains during that project. For about an hour, I had really strong B-H contractions. I know they were B-H contractions only because you aren't born yet and I'm still hunched over a massive belly to type this. But having read that these "practice" contractions get stronger as the time draws closer was not sufficiently descriptive to prepare me for last night. In fact, there were times that I thought my intuition had been all off and that you were coming last night. And yet, thank-goodness, you are still safe inside. Your dad is stressed out at court today, and tonight is our last session of pregnancy photography. I have gotten some good reading suggestions (thanks Hil & Jenny) and plan to pick up a book tonight. Hang out in there a little longer if you can.
Love, Mom
Love, Mom
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Cramps? Contractions? Over-eagerness?
These last couple of weeks – combining the bed rest experience and the freezing weather (snow, ice, misery) of the last week – and the slowing down of my nesting process had gotten me into a bit of a funk. I didn’t really recognize the funk until today when the sun came out and the temperatures got up to 50. It was great! I got out to the law school and walked over to main campus for a meeting, and I really enjoyed it all. Sunlight infused Vitamin D is my friend! I feel like a million bucks.
That said, wow have I had some crazy lower back and lower abdominal pain today! It is subsiding now, but for about the last hour, it came in waves and was very frequent, but not regular. I suspect that it’s because I did a bit of fast walking from my car to the student union and around in the law school, and that has been known to trigger these sensations for me in the past. They were just more intense than I remembered them, and I didn’t experience them while I was walking this time. This time, they waited until I took Rex to the dog park. Then I sat on a bench and chatted with a lady as they came and went. They were definitely distracting, but I was still able to carry on the conversation, so I concluded that they weren’t labor, or at least, weren’t anything to worry about yet. Actually, it’s a strange reality, but as uncomfortable as these sensations were, I didn’t find them unpleasant. Rather, I find them novel. I’m curious about them.
I poked around on the internet and found one statement that said “in late pregnancy Braxton Hicks contractions may become more frequent, intense and even painful. These contractions are not strong enough to deliver your baby but they may cause the cervix to efface (thin) and begin dilating in preparation for true labour.” I’m all for that. I like the idea that while I was sitting on the bench at the dog park my body might have been doing some of the dilating and effacing that would otherwise happen in labor. I also found a statement that “real labor pains [as opposed to B-H contractions] may be in the lower abdomen or in the lower back and abdomen and may spread to the upper thighs.” That sounds like what I was experiencing, so maybe that’s what my real labor contractions will feel like, whenever they come.
In the meantime, I came across a resource that I’d recommend to any expecting-mom who has a few minutes to read an internet document. It’s not too long. It’s called “A Doula’s Guide to the Final 6 Weeks of Pregnancy: Taking Care of Yourself, and Preparing for Labor” and the URL is http://www.transitiontoparenthood.com/ttp/Doula/doulaguide.doc. I hope others find it helpful. It’s a useful reminder of some things and had some new information (at least for me).
That said, wow have I had some crazy lower back and lower abdominal pain today! It is subsiding now, but for about the last hour, it came in waves and was very frequent, but not regular. I suspect that it’s because I did a bit of fast walking from my car to the student union and around in the law school, and that has been known to trigger these sensations for me in the past. They were just more intense than I remembered them, and I didn’t experience them while I was walking this time. This time, they waited until I took Rex to the dog park. Then I sat on a bench and chatted with a lady as they came and went. They were definitely distracting, but I was still able to carry on the conversation, so I concluded that they weren’t labor, or at least, weren’t anything to worry about yet. Actually, it’s a strange reality, but as uncomfortable as these sensations were, I didn’t find them unpleasant. Rather, I find them novel. I’m curious about them.
I poked around on the internet and found one statement that said “in late pregnancy Braxton Hicks contractions may become more frequent, intense and even painful. These contractions are not strong enough to deliver your baby but they may cause the cervix to efface (thin) and begin dilating in preparation for true labour.” I’m all for that. I like the idea that while I was sitting on the bench at the dog park my body might have been doing some of the dilating and effacing that would otherwise happen in labor. I also found a statement that “real labor pains [as opposed to B-H contractions] may be in the lower abdomen or in the lower back and abdomen and may spread to the upper thighs.” That sounds like what I was experiencing, so maybe that’s what my real labor contractions will feel like, whenever they come.
In the meantime, I came across a resource that I’d recommend to any expecting-mom who has a few minutes to read an internet document. It’s not too long. It’s called “A Doula’s Guide to the Final 6 Weeks of Pregnancy: Taking Care of Yourself, and Preparing for Labor” and the URL is http://www.transitiontoparenthood.com/ttp/Doula/doulaguide.doc. I hope others find it helpful. It’s a useful reminder of some things and had some new information (at least for me).
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Mommie needs a book recommendation (PLEASE HELP, READERS!!) – or a hobby – or something.
Well, beautiful Boy, you are due in about 9 days and I’m about as bored as I’ve ever been in my whole life. I want to paint the living room, but your dad has totally vetoed that idea. He makes a good point that I’d be inviting a bunch of chaos which we’d have to live with for a long time if you decided to be born in the middle of the project. I also shouldn’t inhale a bunch of paint fumes or stand high-up on a ladder.
Your room is ready; the laundry is done; the hospital bag is packed; the cleaning guy has been here (I just looked at the kitchen, though, and there might be a little work I can do in there today). I’ve read everything in the house; and since you’re dad is still swamped with work, I’m not willing to start doing any of those things which might hasten your arrival. I’ve sure been fantasizing about them though… Walking a lot, sex, swinging/bumping, drinking various herbal concoctions, eating spicy food… All of these things not only make me nervous, they make me hopeful. How weird is that? But your dad has three more cases to close before he’s ready to take his paternity leave and two big days of court at the end of the week. Once those things are all done, and once he’s had a good day or two to recover from the all-nighter he pulled last night and any all-nighters he pulls between now and then, you’ll find a world waiting for you with eager and open arms.
So how have I been occupying myself lately? (I should explain, in case I haven’t already, that I am not taking classes this semester so that I can stay home and be a mom. Thus, it was only after my projects from last semester that wrapped up that this boredom set in.)
Reading. I really like fiction; specifically fiction with strong female main characters and usually, by female authors. I particularly like Anita Shreve books. A random smattering of other books I enjoyed a lot include “Ahab’s Wife,” “The Pilot’s Wife,” and “The Passion of Artemisia.” But reading for pleasure is just not something I’ve been able to allow myself in law school, so I’m unplugged from what I’d like to read, and I need a book suggestion. Help, anyone?
I’ve been trying to read about preparing for you. Some of this has been extremely helpful. I have enjoyed: The Baby Book – William and Martha Sears; The No-Cry Sleep Solution – Elizabeth Pantley; and my favorite, "Raising a happy, unspoiled child" - Burton L. White. Some books have been unhelpful and incompatible with my values. Some examples of books I have NOT enjoyed are “What to expect when you’re expecting (it’s alarming to read all the possible things that can go wrong);” and “The Girlfriend’s Guide to the First Year” (do these people even like their children?.
Watching TV. Why did I ever think I would enjoy this activity? I didn’t, actually. TV is just anesthesia to pass time. On DVR I had saved up a few episodes of “House,” which I enjoyed, but are now gone. I also had a few “ER” “Boston Legal” and “House of Babies” and a huge number of “Baby Story” and “Bringing Home Baby.” Believe me. There’s only so much TV a soul can watch. If I had to sit through the commercials (instead of fast forwarding through them) I’d never have watched as much as I did, but I’ve still deleted more than I’ve watched.
We went to the doctor this morning, and all looks fine. I’m measuring 38cm, which means I’m about the same as I was last week. That’s normal. The uterus just can’t get any bigger. My weight also stayed the same (170lbs – hardly a call to celebration, but since it’s been there for 3 weeks, at least I’m not gaining anymore). My blood pressure was higher than I think is good – 128/77 (they like it to be lower than 120/80 so I’m in an okay range, but I thought mine used to be lower than this). The doctor also mentioned that she is on call on Feb. 1, and that she might deliver our baby. That’s exciting because the likelihood of getting her is ordinarily quite low. She just isn’t on-call that much.
Our due date is January 31, but most babies are born sometime between 38 and 42 weeks gestation. That means according to the generic odds out there, you could come any moment, but my intuition says you’re still a week or so away. So, I need something to occupy me. I’ll help your dad at work a little, in the few limited ways that I can (copying, etc…) but anyone who has ideas for a good book I could check out, please let me know! If anyone needs some free infant care, I’d love to help you out! If anyone needs company, call on me! In the meantime, I’ll just nap, putter, and blog.
Your room is ready; the laundry is done; the hospital bag is packed; the cleaning guy has been here (I just looked at the kitchen, though, and there might be a little work I can do in there today). I’ve read everything in the house; and since you’re dad is still swamped with work, I’m not willing to start doing any of those things which might hasten your arrival. I’ve sure been fantasizing about them though… Walking a lot, sex, swinging/bumping, drinking various herbal concoctions, eating spicy food… All of these things not only make me nervous, they make me hopeful. How weird is that? But your dad has three more cases to close before he’s ready to take his paternity leave and two big days of court at the end of the week. Once those things are all done, and once he’s had a good day or two to recover from the all-nighter he pulled last night and any all-nighters he pulls between now and then, you’ll find a world waiting for you with eager and open arms.
So how have I been occupying myself lately? (I should explain, in case I haven’t already, that I am not taking classes this semester so that I can stay home and be a mom. Thus, it was only after my projects from last semester that wrapped up that this boredom set in.)
Reading. I really like fiction; specifically fiction with strong female main characters and usually, by female authors. I particularly like Anita Shreve books. A random smattering of other books I enjoyed a lot include “Ahab’s Wife,” “The Pilot’s Wife,” and “The Passion of Artemisia.” But reading for pleasure is just not something I’ve been able to allow myself in law school, so I’m unplugged from what I’d like to read, and I need a book suggestion. Help, anyone?
I’ve been trying to read about preparing for you. Some of this has been extremely helpful. I have enjoyed: The Baby Book – William and Martha Sears; The No-Cry Sleep Solution – Elizabeth Pantley; and my favorite, "Raising a happy, unspoiled child" - Burton L. White. Some books have been unhelpful and incompatible with my values. Some examples of books I have NOT enjoyed are “What to expect when you’re expecting (it’s alarming to read all the possible things that can go wrong);” and “The Girlfriend’s Guide to the First Year” (do these people even like their children?.
Watching TV. Why did I ever think I would enjoy this activity? I didn’t, actually. TV is just anesthesia to pass time. On DVR I had saved up a few episodes of “House,” which I enjoyed, but are now gone. I also had a few “ER” “Boston Legal” and “House of Babies” and a huge number of “Baby Story” and “Bringing Home Baby.” Believe me. There’s only so much TV a soul can watch. If I had to sit through the commercials (instead of fast forwarding through them) I’d never have watched as much as I did, but I’ve still deleted more than I’ve watched.
We went to the doctor this morning, and all looks fine. I’m measuring 38cm, which means I’m about the same as I was last week. That’s normal. The uterus just can’t get any bigger. My weight also stayed the same (170lbs – hardly a call to celebration, but since it’s been there for 3 weeks, at least I’m not gaining anymore). My blood pressure was higher than I think is good – 128/77 (they like it to be lower than 120/80 so I’m in an okay range, but I thought mine used to be lower than this). The doctor also mentioned that she is on call on Feb. 1, and that she might deliver our baby. That’s exciting because the likelihood of getting her is ordinarily quite low. She just isn’t on-call that much.
Our due date is January 31, but most babies are born sometime between 38 and 42 weeks gestation. That means according to the generic odds out there, you could come any moment, but my intuition says you’re still a week or so away. So, I need something to occupy me. I’ll help your dad at work a little, in the few limited ways that I can (copying, etc…) but anyone who has ideas for a good book I could check out, please let me know! If anyone needs some free infant care, I’d love to help you out! If anyone needs company, call on me! In the meantime, I’ll just nap, putter, and blog.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Photo Session 3
Hi Kiddo,
Don Kennedy, photographer extraordinaire, sent me several photos from our third photo session. By the time we shot these, I think you'd been swimming around in there for about 25 weeks. For those who see these and are interested, contact Don at don@donkennedyphotography.com and check out more of his work at http://www.donkennedyphotography.com/. He's fantastic!
More later.
Love, Mom
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Getting to know your grandfather
Hey PunkieKid,
My mother (your grandmother) just sent me the link to an article from a paper about your grandfather. I thought it was a pretty good summary of where he is at this point in his life, as he becomes a grandfather, and it sums up a lot of his history. I will try to get histories up of other important people in your life, but I don't know how exactly, or when, that will happen. For now, I thought I'd repost the article here.
LONG ROAD: STEPS OF FAITH Dan Edwards' latest stop on spiritual journey is leading state's Episcopalians By JOHN PRZYBYS
If he wanted to, Dan Edwards could carry on a pretty spirited interfaith dialogue just by talking to himself.
Consider his spiritual resume: Born and raised a Baptist. Attended a Presbyterian church during high school, and atheist, or at least agnostic, during the latter part of college. Buddhist during much of his career as an attorney working on behalf of minorities and the disenfranchised. And, for the past few decades, an Episcopalian and, even, an Episcopal priest.
It's not a typical resume for an ordained Episcopal clergyman. But, for Edwards, all were necessary steps that prepared him for his latest calling: bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada.
Edwards, 57, was consecrated as bishop Saturday during a liturgy at the Henderson Convention Center. He now serves as spiritual leader of about 6,000 Episcopalians throughout Nevada and in Bullhead City, Ariz.
He is intellectual enough to outline the varying approaches of Eastern and Western religious thought toward social activism, articulate enough to liken his eclectic faith journey to having "hopped on several spiritual lily pads over the course of my life," and witty enough to employ the theme from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" as his cell phone ring tone ("I've been trying to figure out whether it has some Trinity theme in it ... ").
Edwards was born in Texas, in a small town outside Texarkana, to what he describes as a "struggling, working class" family. He was raised a Baptist, and was a very good Baptist at that.
"I was religious as a kid," he says, smiling. "I probably took my parents to church more than they took me to church, even as a child."
Yet -- and, maybe, in a sign of things to come -- the young Edwards even then showed ecumenical leanings.
"One of the things that was confusing to me in my childhood spirituality as a little Baptist was that I always felt these urges to bless things and to forgive sins," Edwards says, laughing. "That's sort of more Catholic piety, which really made no sense in my religious context."
Edwards entertained -- albeit briefly -- childhood notions of someday becoming a clergyman. Instead, after graduating high school, he enrolled in the University of Texas at Austin as an undergraduate, following that up by attending the university's law school.
As early as middle school, "I was interested in law because I was impressed by the courage it takes to be a lawyer representing unpopular people and unpopular causes," Edwards says. "I was struck by the importance of keeping society open and inclusive, and I believed that lawyers played an important role in protecting that openness and inclusivity."
After law school, Edwards spent 12 years practicing law in Colorado and Idaho, working on behalf of migrant farm workers and American Indians. But, by then, his spiritual life had downshifted.
"Sometimes, you hear people who were beaten up or burned by their fundamentalist upbringing," he says. "I was not beaten up or burned, but I did become bored with it."
In high school, Edwards had joined a Presbyterian church because "it was a church where open-minded inquiry was practiced." In college, he became interested in "a more philosophical kind of religion which, within a few years, had developed into a religion of social activism."
But, Edwards continues, "the religion part of it came to seem superfluous. So the religion dropped away and my mind really became about social action and advocacy. And that was essentially an atheist period or, at least, an agnostic-leaning-toward-atheistic period."
However, during law school, Edwards began meditating, "simply for the purpose of stress management. But in the course of meditation, I discovered something much deeper and wider than stress management."
"That was an experience of what I would now call 'God' and I didn't have much of a word for it then," he says. "But that sent me off on a path of searching Eastern religions."
During the early years of his law practice, Edwards was a practicing Buddhist. But, he says, "there came a point when that was no longer adequate for me."
Christianity again called, in part because the message of Jesus meshes so well with Edwards' own interest in social justice and advocacy on behalf of the poor and suffering. In addition, Edwards says his law practice "brought me into encounters with depths of evil I had not experienced before," including the case of an alleged contract killing that took place amid "a larger network of deceit and malevolence (that) was pretty discouraging."
"It was a very dark chapter," Edwards recalls, "and I was looking for a story big enough to have such a dark chapter in it and still come out with a good ending. And Christianity offered me that."
It was then that Edwards "kind of came to the Episcopal church without believing in it. But I decided I would do it as an experiment."
He attended worship regularly. He committed prayers from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer to memory, and recited the prayers throughout the day, saying them "whether I believed them or not."
"And, sometimes, it was painful to say the prayers," Edwards says. "But, as uncomfortable as it was, I kept feeling, sensing, intuiting that there was something to it."
And, little by little, Edwards felt something changing.
"We have a saying in the church: Praying shapes believing," he says. "We don't figure it all out, then pray out of what we have figured out. We pray, and prayer opens the heart and opens the mind. It shifts things in very deep ways inside us."
A key moment came when Edwards visited a man in prison. "He had a rap sheet five pages long: attempted murder, grand larceny, child molesting," he says.
Edwards had been reciting the Jesus Prayer (one version goes: "Lord Jesus, son of the living God, have mercy on me."), and, he says, "you practice it until it becomes kind of a background noise in your head.
"I was visiting this fellow and he came in -- a slim, dark man, a beard. I didn't have much Spanish and he didn't have any English, and we were struggling to communicate. During one silence, I looked at him and noticed this prayer in my head. And I really had this experience: I really felt the presence of Christ in this five-page felon. And that was profound. I wasn't the same after that."
Edwards began participating more fully in the Episcopal church he attended. He was confirmed in the church. "I found myself more and more alive and feeling more and more like myself than I ever did before," he says.
At 35, Edwards began to consider seriously seeking ordination. In 1987, after wrapping up loose ends from his law practice, Edwards entered seminary. After ordination, he served as curate at Christ Church in Macon, Ga., for four years, then for 13 years at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Macon. In October, Nevada Episcopalians chose him to succeed former Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who now is presiding bishop of the United States Episcopal Church.
Edwards is as surprised as anybody that his ministerial journey has led him to become a bishop. In fact, he jokes, "my seminary classmates are as amazed as I am to see me here.
"There is a normal path to becoming bishop, and I have not followed it. I left being assistant at a fairly large, well-established church in Macon to go to a very small and struggling church in Macon -- not the sort of place where you look for bishops. A wonderful, delightful place, but not a bishop farm team of the church."
He threw his hat in the ring only after a fellow priest who previously had served here suggested at a pre-Lenten retreat in Atlanta that Edwards might be a good fit with the Nevada diocese. Edwards was skeptical, but checked out the diocesan Web site anyway.
"I fell in love with (the diocese)," he says. "I saw the people on the Web site and I just thought, 'These are people I'd like to know better and have for friends.' "
Edwards looked at the photos of the desert here and remembered that "all of my best encounters with God have been in the desert." He read about the kinds of ministry the diocese does -- heavy on social justice -- and the profile of what Nevadans wanted in their new bishop.
And, he says, "I just thought, 'Gosh, that doesn't sound like what I normally think of in a bishop. I don't know that it sounds like me, but it sounds more like me than it does my stereotype of a bishop."
Deacon Sandy Oetjen of All Saints Episcopal Church in Las Vegas, a member of the diocesan search committee, says Edwards brings "a broad range of experience" to the diocese. And, because of his work with American Indians and migrants in Colorado and Idaho, he also "has some familiarity with the kind of Western way of approaching things."
"We're a very different kind of diocese, and that was important to us: That somebody would recognize the differences between us and one of these very large dioceses."
And, Oetjen says, Edwards and his wife, Linda Holdeman Edwards -- an attorney and a law professor at Mercer College in Macon, she and Edwards met while working in a legal aid office in Colorado -- brought "absolute enthusiasm from the start."
That's certainly true. Two days before his consecration, Edwards already seemed eager to dive into his new calling, explore his new home and meet some new friends, which should come easily to him.
"I'm having fun," he says. "I'm having a tremendous time.
"I have just delighted in calling people I've known over the years and just describing the wonderful array of characters I'm meeting out here. Interesting people. Colorful people. Delightful people. Warm people. Friendly people. Ornery people. Cantankerous people. Eccentric people. All delightful in their own ways."
"There are very few -- very, very few -- dioceses where I could conceivably function as a bishop," Edwards says, smiling. "This is not only one of them. This is the best of them."
Jan. 10, 2008 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Jeni asked for more info re: how we chose a pediatrician, and I decided to post the answer in a regular post in case other people were interested as well. Keep in mind, most of what I say about this is from googling around. We spent a lot of time looking for "questions to ask pediatrician" and "how to choose pediatrician" and then we moved on to actual doctors' websites. We did almost all of our research on the doctors' websites because pediatricians have gotten pretty used to the fact that people like to find out a lot about the people who might be caring for our little ones. But also, we do think it's important to interview them and the fact that the majority of them offer free initial meetings to assess whether they are the right doctor for you makes it easy to do that. That said, it's not that easy. Time is hard to come by, especially when I have doctors appointments of my own to go to every week, and considering that I spent "pediatrician interviewing" week on bedrest. So, PunkiePapa and I wanted to do the majority of research from the comfort of our living room, and we were able to do that without difficulty. The list below includes some questions that we found on the internet (http://www.babyresource.com/pediatrician-questions.htm) that I found helpful, but like I said, most of this can be found out from a website.
The purpose of going to the office was to get more of a feel for the place and the people. At the pediatrician's that we chose, the doctor and all of the staff were warm and friendly. They were laid back and seemed colleagial with eachother. We didn't have to wait very long in the waiting room (important when there are likely to be a lot of contagious kids around). The doctor was only fashionably late and he was happy to see us. He took our questions seriously and didn't pressure us to commit to using his office. He spent about 20 minutes with us and didn't seem in a hurry at all. He spoke comfortably about being a father of 4 himself and about how parenting is challenging. He didn't presume to know all the answers to every parenting question. He seemed to have a healthy respect for the difference between medical questions (which he is expert on) and parenting questions (which he says he can offer some insights on, but readily admits that he defers to parenting experts for non-medical questions). I should also say, we asked a lot of the people we know and think are really good parents who they use, and we got a lot of good advice about who is good, accessible, and caring in our area. There were a few names that popped up again and again, and we started our research with an emphasis on those (or rather, the ones our insurance covered and were not too far away).
Pediatrician Background, Credentials, Experience
They suggest that you ask "When and where did the pediatrician complete medical school and residency?" but I don't know why that is helpful. I don't know the difference between a good and a bad med school or residency. But some people might, so ask if you like.
Are they a member of the American Academy Of Pediatrics or any other specialty organization? Again, I don't really know how useful this is, but I do want to know that they are keeping up with the recommendations and research of the specialty organizations. We listened for references to those groups and we were delighted to hear several times that our doctor pays a lot of attention to what the most current practices are.
How long has the pediatrician been in practice? I care about this because I want to know that he's pretty experienced, but not stale.
Does the pediatrician have any areas of subspecialty? For our doctor, yes, preventative medicine. Hot dog! I like that.
What hospitals does the pediatrician have privileges at? Our doctor said that their practice has priviledges at UNC Hospitals, which is where our child will be delivered, but he also said that the peds people there are so good that they actually don't often go to the hospital, at least, not for a healthy new birth. That was fine with us.
How soon after the baby is born will the pediatrician come to see it at the hospital? Not at all, for the reasons I just explained, but they like to see a new baby within 3 days of coming home from the hospital.
How does the pediatrician feel about mothers calling in after hours over "little things"? This is important. Also, my husband and I are big e-mailers. We tend to e-mail unless we are really freaked out about something. So, it matters to us that our pediatrician is happy to communicate via e-mail. In the event that you are different from us and prefer the phone, then make sure to ask "Is there a specific time during the day that the doctor will take phone calls?"
Office Logistics
Is the office conveniently located for less travel time with a sick child? Does the practice have multiple offices you can visit?
What are the office hours and are there any early morning or late evening hours for working parents?
How long in advance must you book appointments?
Are there any diagnostic facilities on site such as X-rays, blood work, etc.?
What lab work can be performed at the pediatrician's office?
Is there a specific time during the day that the doctor will take phone calls, and how does the office handle your phone in questions?
How does the office deal with after hours emergencies?
Is there a 24 hour answering services that can connect you to a doctor?
Who covers for the doctor when they are on vacation?
Does the office mail out reminders for scheduled immunizations and checkups?
Fees, Methods of Payment
How much are the fees for standard office visits?
Are immunization shots extra, or are they included in the office visit charge?
Does the pediatrician accept your insurance?
How are insurance claims handled, and will the pediatrician bill your insurance company directly.
Do they accept checks and credit cards?
Is payment due at the time visit, or will the pediatrician bill you?
What happens if you miss a scheduled visit? Can you easily reschedule?
I really like our doctor on a gut level. I like everything I've learned about him and his practice, too, which affirms the opinion of my gut. I know that we can change if something changes and we don't like him anymore. (My own parents fired my first pediatrician when I was about 90 minutes old because they suddenly didn't think he was so great after all). But I don't think that's going to be an issue. I think that for us, this guy is tops. I hope this is helpful, and I hope everyone else out there trying to make this choice finds someone they like as much as I think we like ours.
The purpose of going to the office was to get more of a feel for the place and the people. At the pediatrician's that we chose, the doctor and all of the staff were warm and friendly. They were laid back and seemed colleagial with eachother. We didn't have to wait very long in the waiting room (important when there are likely to be a lot of contagious kids around). The doctor was only fashionably late and he was happy to see us. He took our questions seriously and didn't pressure us to commit to using his office. He spent about 20 minutes with us and didn't seem in a hurry at all. He spoke comfortably about being a father of 4 himself and about how parenting is challenging. He didn't presume to know all the answers to every parenting question. He seemed to have a healthy respect for the difference between medical questions (which he is expert on) and parenting questions (which he says he can offer some insights on, but readily admits that he defers to parenting experts for non-medical questions). I should also say, we asked a lot of the people we know and think are really good parents who they use, and we got a lot of good advice about who is good, accessible, and caring in our area. There were a few names that popped up again and again, and we started our research with an emphasis on those (or rather, the ones our insurance covered and were not too far away).
Pediatrician Background, Credentials, Experience
They suggest that you ask "When and where did the pediatrician complete medical school and residency?" but I don't know why that is helpful. I don't know the difference between a good and a bad med school or residency. But some people might, so ask if you like.
Are they a member of the American Academy Of Pediatrics or any other specialty organization? Again, I don't really know how useful this is, but I do want to know that they are keeping up with the recommendations and research of the specialty organizations. We listened for references to those groups and we were delighted to hear several times that our doctor pays a lot of attention to what the most current practices are.
How long has the pediatrician been in practice? I care about this because I want to know that he's pretty experienced, but not stale.
Does the pediatrician have any areas of subspecialty? For our doctor, yes, preventative medicine. Hot dog! I like that.
What hospitals does the pediatrician have privileges at? Our doctor said that their practice has priviledges at UNC Hospitals, which is where our child will be delivered, but he also said that the peds people there are so good that they actually don't often go to the hospital, at least, not for a healthy new birth. That was fine with us.
How soon after the baby is born will the pediatrician come to see it at the hospital? Not at all, for the reasons I just explained, but they like to see a new baby within 3 days of coming home from the hospital.
How does the pediatrician feel about mothers calling in after hours over "little things"? This is important. Also, my husband and I are big e-mailers. We tend to e-mail unless we are really freaked out about something. So, it matters to us that our pediatrician is happy to communicate via e-mail. In the event that you are different from us and prefer the phone, then make sure to ask "Is there a specific time during the day that the doctor will take phone calls?"
Office Logistics
Is the office conveniently located for less travel time with a sick child? Does the practice have multiple offices you can visit?
What are the office hours and are there any early morning or late evening hours for working parents?
How long in advance must you book appointments?
Are there any diagnostic facilities on site such as X-rays, blood work, etc.?
What lab work can be performed at the pediatrician's office?
Is there a specific time during the day that the doctor will take phone calls, and how does the office handle your phone in questions?
How does the office deal with after hours emergencies?
Is there a 24 hour answering services that can connect you to a doctor?
Who covers for the doctor when they are on vacation?
Does the office mail out reminders for scheduled immunizations and checkups?
Fees, Methods of Payment
How much are the fees for standard office visits?
Are immunization shots extra, or are they included in the office visit charge?
Does the pediatrician accept your insurance?
How are insurance claims handled, and will the pediatrician bill your insurance company directly.
Do they accept checks and credit cards?
Is payment due at the time visit, or will the pediatrician bill you?
What happens if you miss a scheduled visit? Can you easily reschedule?
I really like our doctor on a gut level. I like everything I've learned about him and his practice, too, which affirms the opinion of my gut. I know that we can change if something changes and we don't like him anymore. (My own parents fired my first pediatrician when I was about 90 minutes old because they suddenly didn't think he was so great after all). But I don't think that's going to be an issue. I think that for us, this guy is tops. I hope this is helpful, and I hope everyone else out there trying to make this choice finds someone they like as much as I think we like ours.
Warm and Bright - Thank Goodness!
First thing’s first, the thing I’d been most wondering about (and trust that you might have been also): My capacity for stillness had just about expired, and hallelujah, I’m free to buzz! My BP improved and my weight didn’t go up. I’m cleared to return to my normal self! In that vein, I spent last night putting away a million pieces of baby stuff that we received over the weekend and made sure that I had catalogued the giver of each gift. I’m not exaggerating – your dad and I have about 100 thank-you notes to write. We are so blessed with friends and family and friends of family – all of whom are celebrating the fact that you are on your way. We have almost everything we need and what we don’t have we’ll soon have. I can safely say that if I went into labor this very minute it would be a-okay.
I have a funny story. Remember in an entry I wrote a long time ago I mentioned that I’d had a dream about your birth? It was the dream in which you were named Corinth. Well, I never told you that whole dream, but it’s relevant, so I will. In the dream, your dad and I were at home and we were studying the Love Poem from the book of First Corinthians. (This would never happen, so there’s your first cue that this was a dream). Then an ice storm came and we lost our power and our heat. The brown suede recliner was in the living room at that time. (It isn’t anymore. It’s in your room now.) While sitting in that chair I went into labor, and your dad went outside and realized that the weather was just too bad to go anywhere. We would have to deliver you at home. So, from the recliner I gave birth to you. Your dad cut the cord by candle and firelight. All was well, and we named you Corinth Gradyn Edwards Brown, to be called Cory.
Well, that’s a sweet story for a dream, but only when you feel pretty confident that it won’t actually happen. I, however, have little confidence that we’ll be able to avoid bad weather when it’s actually time for you to come. Chapel Hill notoriously has weird and wacky weather and strange and inconvenient times, and a January 31 due date puts us smack in the middle of wacky weather time. So, I’ve joked a lot about that dream but I would not think it was very funny if you came by candlelight in the dark and cold. I know those sorts of births have happened safely for thousands of years, but I’m just not sure that I could deal with that.
So, I’ve been annoyed with the heat in this apartment for the last couple of months. It seemed to me like it just wasn’t working, but at times I thought that it was. But at the doctor’s yesterday, where we discussed that labor can really happen anytime, the doctor mentioned that the weather is predicted to be bad these next few days including snow and rain. Well I know what that means – ice! If the weather gets just a little colder than they think it will, and rain has fallen, there will be ice. So thinking the cold could be really problematic in these next few days, I finally called the apartment managers. They said they’d send someone out to look at the heat. Great! They also said that the people might not be able to come till the next day (today), so they’d send someone out with a bunch of room heaters. Again, great! Great - right up until I plugged in one of the heaters in the bedroom and took out half the lights in the house. So there we were – no heat, no light, and a forecast of ice. I dismissed it as amusing and trusted that I had not become a prophet in the last nine months, so I slept fine; but I confess, when the heating and cooling guy came about an hour ago and discovered/fixed the problem with the heater, I was glad, and when he applied his further wisdom to get all the lights back on, I was even gladder. So here we are – you and me – sitting in a well lit and warm living room, pounding out a blog entry and feeling very glad. How much we usually take for granted!!
I have a funny story. Remember in an entry I wrote a long time ago I mentioned that I’d had a dream about your birth? It was the dream in which you were named Corinth. Well, I never told you that whole dream, but it’s relevant, so I will. In the dream, your dad and I were at home and we were studying the Love Poem from the book of First Corinthians. (This would never happen, so there’s your first cue that this was a dream). Then an ice storm came and we lost our power and our heat. The brown suede recliner was in the living room at that time. (It isn’t anymore. It’s in your room now.) While sitting in that chair I went into labor, and your dad went outside and realized that the weather was just too bad to go anywhere. We would have to deliver you at home. So, from the recliner I gave birth to you. Your dad cut the cord by candle and firelight. All was well, and we named you Corinth Gradyn Edwards Brown, to be called Cory.
Well, that’s a sweet story for a dream, but only when you feel pretty confident that it won’t actually happen. I, however, have little confidence that we’ll be able to avoid bad weather when it’s actually time for you to come. Chapel Hill notoriously has weird and wacky weather and strange and inconvenient times, and a January 31 due date puts us smack in the middle of wacky weather time. So, I’ve joked a lot about that dream but I would not think it was very funny if you came by candlelight in the dark and cold. I know those sorts of births have happened safely for thousands of years, but I’m just not sure that I could deal with that.
So, I’ve been annoyed with the heat in this apartment for the last couple of months. It seemed to me like it just wasn’t working, but at times I thought that it was. But at the doctor’s yesterday, where we discussed that labor can really happen anytime, the doctor mentioned that the weather is predicted to be bad these next few days including snow and rain. Well I know what that means – ice! If the weather gets just a little colder than they think it will, and rain has fallen, there will be ice. So thinking the cold could be really problematic in these next few days, I finally called the apartment managers. They said they’d send someone out to look at the heat. Great! They also said that the people might not be able to come till the next day (today), so they’d send someone out with a bunch of room heaters. Again, great! Great - right up until I plugged in one of the heaters in the bedroom and took out half the lights in the house. So there we were – no heat, no light, and a forecast of ice. I dismissed it as amusing and trusted that I had not become a prophet in the last nine months, so I slept fine; but I confess, when the heating and cooling guy came about an hour ago and discovered/fixed the problem with the heater, I was glad, and when he applied his further wisdom to get all the lights back on, I was even gladder. So here we are – you and me – sitting in a well lit and warm living room, pounding out a blog entry and feeling very glad. How much we usually take for granted!!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
From Dad
Dear Son,
We are so excited about your upcoming birth. We’ve been planning for your arrival for 9 months - praying for you, speaking to you, talking with friends and family about you, getting the house ready, and in the past month, receiving gracious gifts from friends that will help us care for you. We’ve done all of this because we love you very much.
When you finally get here, one of the ways that I want to love you is to take great care in getting to know you. As your father, I want you to know from the very beginning that I want to help you develop your strengths and to deal effectively with your vulnerabilities. I don’t know what those are yet, and I suspect that you don’t either. But what is important is that your mother and I will try as best we can to have an open mind about you and to let you be who you are at the same time that we model for you what we think is a loving and compassionate way of being in the world.
So let me give you an example of what I’m talking about. You know from my earlier blog entries that I’m a big sports fan, and it may be that you are too, and that we share that together, and it may be that you don’t like sports. If you don’t like sports, I’m going to learn to like whatever you like. So that means that one day your mother and I may be attending the quiz bowl, or the ballet, or the debate meet, or the gay pride parade, but the point is that whatever it is that you are interested in, we will try to support and learn to love. And we will try, as best we can, to steer your interests in a way that contributes to the greater good. So all of this is to say that I’ve been thinking quite a bit about you and am very excited about beginning our relationship.
I love you very much,
Your father, Rhett
We are so excited about your upcoming birth. We’ve been planning for your arrival for 9 months - praying for you, speaking to you, talking with friends and family about you, getting the house ready, and in the past month, receiving gracious gifts from friends that will help us care for you. We’ve done all of this because we love you very much.
When you finally get here, one of the ways that I want to love you is to take great care in getting to know you. As your father, I want you to know from the very beginning that I want to help you develop your strengths and to deal effectively with your vulnerabilities. I don’t know what those are yet, and I suspect that you don’t either. But what is important is that your mother and I will try as best we can to have an open mind about you and to let you be who you are at the same time that we model for you what we think is a loving and compassionate way of being in the world.
So let me give you an example of what I’m talking about. You know from my earlier blog entries that I’m a big sports fan, and it may be that you are too, and that we share that together, and it may be that you don’t like sports. If you don’t like sports, I’m going to learn to like whatever you like. So that means that one day your mother and I may be attending the quiz bowl, or the ballet, or the debate meet, or the gay pride parade, but the point is that whatever it is that you are interested in, we will try to support and learn to love. And we will try, as best we can, to steer your interests in a way that contributes to the greater good. So all of this is to say that I’ve been thinking quite a bit about you and am very excited about beginning our relationship.
I love you very much,
Your father, Rhett
The Princess Diaries
Hi Kiddo,
I titled this the way I did because I really have been trying to follow doctor’s orders and “be a princess.” I just suck at it. There’s too much to do and too little time. Also, I’m BORED!! I’m not good at stillness. I’m constitutionally ill-equipped to occupy the same spot in space for more than about a half hour. That said, everyone recommends getting all the sleep we can now, and I’ve been doing pretty well at that.
Things out here in the world really are good. Your dad has been nesting like crazy. He took all kinds of stuff to the give-away pile at the dump. He even took a big chest and a TV stand, and a monster-huge TV I’ve been hoping we could get rid of. (Your dad agreed to that, but he’s been really busy and I can’t lift it.) Yesterday, he vacuumed and scoured dishes, and made our home lovely for Andee and Dylan (our doula and newfound friend and her husband, who we also like a lot). I found it difficult to stay pinned to the couch yesterday, and since I was feeling fine, I justified a dash out for groceries. I hope that didn’t stress you out in there; but my intentions were good. I needed the groceries to prepare dinner for Andee and Dylan to come over, and it was a very low sodium dinner, which I understand is good for blood pressure. I still feel fine and haven’t swelled up or anything, so I’m pretty sure you were okay with it. You rolled around a lot and have been pretty active today, so I suspect you’re not under any stress.
Today was really fantastic for another reason, too. Today our friends Elisabeth, Laurea, and Laurie from church threw the three of us a really lovely baby shower. If you grow up finding that you love lemon bars, today is why. Laurea made amazing lemon bars and I am hooked. They sent the extras home with us and I’ve been snacking on them for several hours. The time we spent with friends was especially wonderful because lately I’ve been especially aware of what a leap it is to have a baby. We’ve taken several classes about how to be good and responsible parents, but we’ve never done anything like parenting before, and it’s really important. We don’t want to screw it up. Being with everyone today made me feel really secure; after all, with a support system around like the one we have, how wrong could things really go? You aren’t even born and so many people love you. I don’t know exactly when you’re going to be ready to be here, but I’m increasingly confident that the world is ready for you. We look forward to seeing you whenever you get here.
Love, Mom
I titled this the way I did because I really have been trying to follow doctor’s orders and “be a princess.” I just suck at it. There’s too much to do and too little time. Also, I’m BORED!! I’m not good at stillness. I’m constitutionally ill-equipped to occupy the same spot in space for more than about a half hour. That said, everyone recommends getting all the sleep we can now, and I’ve been doing pretty well at that.
Things out here in the world really are good. Your dad has been nesting like crazy. He took all kinds of stuff to the give-away pile at the dump. He even took a big chest and a TV stand, and a monster-huge TV I’ve been hoping we could get rid of. (Your dad agreed to that, but he’s been really busy and I can’t lift it.) Yesterday, he vacuumed and scoured dishes, and made our home lovely for Andee and Dylan (our doula and newfound friend and her husband, who we also like a lot). I found it difficult to stay pinned to the couch yesterday, and since I was feeling fine, I justified a dash out for groceries. I hope that didn’t stress you out in there; but my intentions were good. I needed the groceries to prepare dinner for Andee and Dylan to come over, and it was a very low sodium dinner, which I understand is good for blood pressure. I still feel fine and haven’t swelled up or anything, so I’m pretty sure you were okay with it. You rolled around a lot and have been pretty active today, so I suspect you’re not under any stress.
Today was really fantastic for another reason, too. Today our friends Elisabeth, Laurea, and Laurie from church threw the three of us a really lovely baby shower. If you grow up finding that you love lemon bars, today is why. Laurea made amazing lemon bars and I am hooked. They sent the extras home with us and I’ve been snacking on them for several hours. The time we spent with friends was especially wonderful because lately I’ve been especially aware of what a leap it is to have a baby. We’ve taken several classes about how to be good and responsible parents, but we’ve never done anything like parenting before, and it’s really important. We don’t want to screw it up. Being with everyone today made me feel really secure; after all, with a support system around like the one we have, how wrong could things really go? You aren’t even born and so many people love you. I don’t know exactly when you’re going to be ready to be here, but I’m increasingly confident that the world is ready for you. We look forward to seeing you whenever you get here.
Love, Mom
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
We met your doctor today.
Dear Little Person,
I took a little hiatus from bed rest this morning to go with your dad to meet your doctor. Your dad did all the research and I agreed with his preliminary choice, so we were really hoping that this guy would be the one. His name is Jim Kurz, and he’s great. He has four kids of his own, and he’s worked in public health settings in the past. His office is close by and not especially fancy. There are signs up prohibiting cell phone use in the “clinical area” – whatever that is. I like that. He has gregorian chant playing softly over the sound system. I like that too. One of the other pretty cool things about him is that he’s board certified in both internal medicine and pediatrics. Thus, he can see the whole family. I won’t be going to him because I have insurance through the school, and thus, must see university health providers. But your dad is going to switch over to seeing him; so he’ll know the family health history. He seemed reasonable, personable, and kind. I hope you like him.
I took a little hiatus from bed rest this morning to go with your dad to meet your doctor. Your dad did all the research and I agreed with his preliminary choice, so we were really hoping that this guy would be the one. His name is Jim Kurz, and he’s great. He has four kids of his own, and he’s worked in public health settings in the past. His office is close by and not especially fancy. There are signs up prohibiting cell phone use in the “clinical area” – whatever that is. I like that. He has gregorian chant playing softly over the sound system. I like that too. One of the other pretty cool things about him is that he’s board certified in both internal medicine and pediatrics. Thus, he can see the whole family. I won’t be going to him because I have insurance through the school, and thus, must see university health providers. But your dad is going to switch over to seeing him; so he’ll know the family health history. He seemed reasonable, personable, and kind. I hope you like him.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
First full day of bedrest. Yuck.
Hi Munchkin,
Today I am working from the couch - trying to help the Civil Rights Moot Court team, not knowing why they aren't writing their briefs for competition, and reading an interesting yet boring book on parents rights (for my paper). After seeing the doctor yesterday I was really pretty confident that this was no big deal, and I really thought that after a day at home and resting I'd have the effects of the Las Vegas trip behind me and I'd feel normal. But alas, I really don't feel normal. I've been up very little but am still feeling short of breath and have still had some spotty vision. I poked around on the internet a little bit and read the handout from the doctor, and I realize that it's not that unlikely that I could have preeclampsia and that while it is dangerous and has to be monitored closely, it isn't at all uncommon and it wouldn't be such a shock or such a horrible thing if I had it.
Apparently, about 6 to 8% of pregnant women have preeclampsia. It is also more likely to occur during first pregnancies than later pregnancies. The cause is unknown and while obese women and women with chronic hypertension are at higher risk for it, they are by no means the only expected candidates. It's also not surprising that I haven't felt all that bad. According to one site I've found, "if you have mild preeclampsia, you may not have any symptoms and may feel perfectly well."
Treatment depends on how close you are to your due date. Since we are due in 23 days (yikes, can you believe it?) we could be pretty confident that you'd be okay. But the doctor said yesterday that for little boys, it's really better to try to get at least to 38 weeks because boys lung development seems to happen a little more slowly than girls, so it's best to let you cook. Still, that means that on our appointment next Tuesday, we could be looking at scheduling an induction because delivery of the baby is the best treatment. I really, really don't want that, and as long as it does not become too severe, we could keep you in there until you decide to pop out naturally by resting in bed, lying on my left side as much as possible to take the weight off of you and my major blood vessels, having more frequent checkups (more frequent than weekly? Jimminy Cricket!), eating less salt, and drinking lots of water.
I have my feet literally up, even though they don't look swollen to me. I can't put my wedding ring on - not even the slightly larger than normal substitute ring I've been wearing, but I still look normal (at least, normal for a 9.5 month pregnant lady). I do manage to sleep long and hard, unlike most pregnant people, but to my mind, unless it really means that you are in danger, that's hardly a symptom - it's a blessing! Mostly, I just don't feel like we're ready, and I want to be ready.
Today I am working from the couch - trying to help the Civil Rights Moot Court team, not knowing why they aren't writing their briefs for competition, and reading an interesting yet boring book on parents rights (for my paper). After seeing the doctor yesterday I was really pretty confident that this was no big deal, and I really thought that after a day at home and resting I'd have the effects of the Las Vegas trip behind me and I'd feel normal. But alas, I really don't feel normal. I've been up very little but am still feeling short of breath and have still had some spotty vision. I poked around on the internet a little bit and read the handout from the doctor, and I realize that it's not that unlikely that I could have preeclampsia and that while it is dangerous and has to be monitored closely, it isn't at all uncommon and it wouldn't be such a shock or such a horrible thing if I had it.
Apparently, about 6 to 8% of pregnant women have preeclampsia. It is also more likely to occur during first pregnancies than later pregnancies. The cause is unknown and while obese women and women with chronic hypertension are at higher risk for it, they are by no means the only expected candidates. It's also not surprising that I haven't felt all that bad. According to one site I've found, "if you have mild preeclampsia, you may not have any symptoms and may feel perfectly well."
Treatment depends on how close you are to your due date. Since we are due in 23 days (yikes, can you believe it?) we could be pretty confident that you'd be okay. But the doctor said yesterday that for little boys, it's really better to try to get at least to 38 weeks because boys lung development seems to happen a little more slowly than girls, so it's best to let you cook. Still, that means that on our appointment next Tuesday, we could be looking at scheduling an induction because delivery of the baby is the best treatment. I really, really don't want that, and as long as it does not become too severe, we could keep you in there until you decide to pop out naturally by resting in bed, lying on my left side as much as possible to take the weight off of you and my major blood vessels, having more frequent checkups (more frequent than weekly? Jimminy Cricket!), eating less salt, and drinking lots of water.
I have my feet literally up, even though they don't look swollen to me. I can't put my wedding ring on - not even the slightly larger than normal substitute ring I've been wearing, but I still look normal (at least, normal for a 9.5 month pregnant lady). I do manage to sleep long and hard, unlike most pregnant people, but to my mind, unless it really means that you are in danger, that's hardly a symptom - it's a blessing! Mostly, I just don't feel like we're ready, and I want to be ready.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Bedrest
Hey Little One,
Your dad and I got back from Las Vegas last night and went to the doctor this afternoon for our check-up. We are going to have check-ups a lot more often now, as our due date gets close. For the first time, all was not well today. Nothing is seriously amiss, but our doctor did say that I needed to spend this week resting. She said to "be a princess." She said to let other people do things for me and to generally spend the week reclining. She also said to give up my processed foods (alas, no more french onion soup) and drink a lot of water. They are watching for preeclampsia. I've had some spotting in front of my eyes, some light-headedness, a lot of sudden swelling, a jump in blood pressure, and a big sudden weight gain. I'm not really that uncomfortable and would not have thought to go in if we didn't already have this appointment scheduled. But they gave me a handout on preeclampsia and explained that there are a few other symptoms I should be on the lookout for, explained that it's important to keep it under control, and that if it were to get bad, you'd have to be born early. As much as I've griped about wishing it were time for you to come, I know that's not what's best for you, so we want to prevent that. So, up go our feet for the week. I still get to go to our showers, though, and I think that will be a lot of fun. It's so wonderful to know that the people who love us are getting excited about your birth too!
Love, Mom
Your dad and I got back from Las Vegas last night and went to the doctor this afternoon for our check-up. We are going to have check-ups a lot more often now, as our due date gets close. For the first time, all was not well today. Nothing is seriously amiss, but our doctor did say that I needed to spend this week resting. She said to "be a princess." She said to let other people do things for me and to generally spend the week reclining. She also said to give up my processed foods (alas, no more french onion soup) and drink a lot of water. They are watching for preeclampsia. I've had some spotting in front of my eyes, some light-headedness, a lot of sudden swelling, a jump in blood pressure, and a big sudden weight gain. I'm not really that uncomfortable and would not have thought to go in if we didn't already have this appointment scheduled. But they gave me a handout on preeclampsia and explained that there are a few other symptoms I should be on the lookout for, explained that it's important to keep it under control, and that if it were to get bad, you'd have to be born early. As much as I've griped about wishing it were time for you to come, I know that's not what's best for you, so we want to prevent that. So, up go our feet for the week. I still get to go to our showers, though, and I think that will be a lot of fun. It's so wonderful to know that the people who love us are getting excited about your birth too!
Love, Mom
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Hey Man,
I write to you from Las Vegas, Nevada. Your Dad and I are here for your grandfather’s consecration. We arrived yesterday, and I am officially miserable. It’s the New Year now, and somehow, entering the New Year, and the anticipated month of your birth has made complete my utter physical discomfort. There are a number of reasons that I’m especially uncomfortable now. First is that yesterday, your dad and I took a brief flight from Raleigh to Atlanta, then a 4½ hour flight from Atlanta to Las Vegas. That was really uncomfortable for me. I take up a lot more space than I used to, and I couldn’t get comfortable. It was also a particularly dehydrating experience in and of itself, and we are now in Las Vegas, which is a desert. I can feel the skin on my hands, face, and body pulled tight.
Today, we drove around Red Rock Canyon – a national conservation site. It was really gorgeous. Then, we had lunch at a Summerlin area Whole Foods. The point of that was to see where your grandparents are planning to shop for a house. Throughout the day, I’ve been uncomfortable. I don’t feel good standing because I’m massive and get out of breath easily; I don’t like sitting because my ribs settle down onto my massive belly and press down. The belly can’t move because it runs into my legs. If I sit at a table I can’t get close to it because the belly keeps me from scooting the chair in; if I sit in a car, I’m forced to have normal posture, which exacerbates the leg/belly/rib pressure thing, which in turn makes it hard to breathe. I find that I’m generally just tired, which is partially dehydration and jet lag, but it is also significantly caused by the enormous difficulty I have negotiating this body through the environment.
The other bummer is that your dad is fighting against some kind of mysterious low-grade bug. He felt bad over the weekend; then he pulled an all-nighter in order to finish some important work to get ready for paternity leave, which given his already compromised health may not have been genius. On the other hand, I’m really grateful for his current zeal because it means that when you arrive, the chances are a lot better that our bonding time with you won’t get interrupted by foster care work. For now, he continues to feel intermittently tired, achy, and light headed. Tonight we’re staying in watching the Sugar Bowl, so maybe that will help. I was certainly grateful for the company in a nap earlier this afternoon.
I write to you from Las Vegas, Nevada. Your Dad and I are here for your grandfather’s consecration. We arrived yesterday, and I am officially miserable. It’s the New Year now, and somehow, entering the New Year, and the anticipated month of your birth has made complete my utter physical discomfort. There are a number of reasons that I’m especially uncomfortable now. First is that yesterday, your dad and I took a brief flight from Raleigh to Atlanta, then a 4½ hour flight from Atlanta to Las Vegas. That was really uncomfortable for me. I take up a lot more space than I used to, and I couldn’t get comfortable. It was also a particularly dehydrating experience in and of itself, and we are now in Las Vegas, which is a desert. I can feel the skin on my hands, face, and body pulled tight.
Today, we drove around Red Rock Canyon – a national conservation site. It was really gorgeous. Then, we had lunch at a Summerlin area Whole Foods. The point of that was to see where your grandparents are planning to shop for a house. Throughout the day, I’ve been uncomfortable. I don’t feel good standing because I’m massive and get out of breath easily; I don’t like sitting because my ribs settle down onto my massive belly and press down. The belly can’t move because it runs into my legs. If I sit at a table I can’t get close to it because the belly keeps me from scooting the chair in; if I sit in a car, I’m forced to have normal posture, which exacerbates the leg/belly/rib pressure thing, which in turn makes it hard to breathe. I find that I’m generally just tired, which is partially dehydration and jet lag, but it is also significantly caused by the enormous difficulty I have negotiating this body through the environment.
The other bummer is that your dad is fighting against some kind of mysterious low-grade bug. He felt bad over the weekend; then he pulled an all-nighter in order to finish some important work to get ready for paternity leave, which given his already compromised health may not have been genius. On the other hand, I’m really grateful for his current zeal because it means that when you arrive, the chances are a lot better that our bonding time with you won’t get interrupted by foster care work. For now, he continues to feel intermittently tired, achy, and light headed. Tonight we’re staying in watching the Sugar Bowl, so maybe that will help. I was certainly grateful for the company in a nap earlier this afternoon.
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