Still cooking.

So baby is still in there, I am 38 weeks and last week was admitted to the hospital for dehydration. Never a dull moment. Baby is good, still cooking, she is measuring 41 weeks and we go for an ultrasound tomorrow and we will ultimately have to make the decision of what is best for both of us and getting her out.

I have cried a few tears about my natural birth that is turning into a medical procedure. But I can't control it, as long as she is healthy.

This weekend is turning into a "just us" weekend, this may be the last few days that our family will be two so I want to cherish this time.

For now I am trying to work while working thru contractions and this dizzy spell I have had all day.

Getting very anxious to meet our little girl.

Review: Tea-for-Two Pregnancy Tea and Healthy Mom, Happy Baby Yoga DVD!

At Pregosaur, we're big fans of natural products for TTC, pregnancy, and beyond - and one of our favorite companies, Fairhaven Health, generously sent Jerseysaur four of their amazing products to review.

We previously posted reviews of two products and the second two are below...and later this week, there just might be a giveaway!

Tea-for-Two Pregnancy Tea

This tea is a loose leaf tea blend especially designed for pregnant women, and I love that it's made with all-natural organic ingredients! These are:

• Strawberry leaf: nourishes and tones the uterus and provides key vitamins, minerals, and alkaloids that promote a healthful pregnancy
• Alfalfa: high in nutritive vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin K. which is critical to a healthy pregnancy 
• Dandelion leaf: helps to eliminate excess water from the system to ease fluid retention, excellent source of potassium, calcium and iron
• Oatstraw: calms the nervous system to alleviate stress and tension
• Ginger root: assuages nausea and eases morning sickness symptoms
• Lemon verbena: provides refreshing, zesty flavor.

You brew the tea by steeping one teaspoon of the blend in hot water for five minutes. It has a very light, mild flavor, and if you prefer a sweeter tea, you could add a little honey.


Healthy Mom, Happy Baby Yoga DVD

I loved this DVD! Yoga is highly recommended as a form of exercise for pregnant women, and the exercises were gentle and easy to follow. I also liked the ongoing references to the baby (since exercise involves both of you when you're pregnant!).

I felt so relaxed at the end of the session, and so connected with my body and my baby. I like knowing that my flexibility and strength are improving, and that helps me have the healthiest pregnancy I can!

Stay tuned for the giveaway!

Surfacing....

It's been a busy few months around the Eiresaur house. We moved to a new country, I started working, and we finally got health insurance! Woohoo! With all of these new things, unfortunately, one of them is not a pregnancy. With our newly acquired health insurance we were finally able to start fertility treatments in October. Samples of all sorts were given and from the outset the doctor seemed to think we'd be successful doing an IUI. Well...

• The swabs came back positive for a bacterial infection - DH and I were put on antibiotics.
• I had an HSG. - It came back inconclusive because the muscles around my tubes contracted so badly that it didn't show pooling (aka blockage), nor did it go all the way through the end of the tube. - If needed again, I'll be taking stronger drugs!
  
• The blood came back showing I was in grey area for immunity to German Measles. - I was revaccinated and we're currently in the 4 week waiting period.
• DH's semen sample tested positive for E.coli. That's right, E.coli. - DH put on more antibiotics.
• DH's semen analyses (he's had two) are not great. The second was worst than the first. In the second one the volume was so low they wouldn't have done an IUI with it. - Referred to a urologist. - Nurse pronounces that it's okay, because we can still do IVF with ICSI! Dollar signs are swirling around my head while I hear this.
  
• Urologist discovers DH only has one vas deferens and he's missing his left kidney. - Apparently this shouldn't affect his fertility (stuff is actually coming through per semen sample), but it's a little freaky nonetheless.
• Next up is me being retested for the bacterial infection and retested for the German measles immunity. DH had blood drawn at the urologist and he has a follow-up appointment next in 3 weeks. He also needs to do another S/A to be the 'tie-breaker'.
  

My dream is that DH's volume miraculously goes up. Our insurance covers IUI, but not IVF. We'd have to do some serious shifting around to make that happen.

I've been hesitant to post all of this, mainly because this is a blog for pregnant people, not infertiles. Each month I hope that I can actually come on here to announce good news, but who knows if that will ever happen. :(

1.5 cm dilated

I have been experiencing contractions that started on Saturday, those were painless contractions and I was so unsure of what they really were. I had my weekly doctors appointment yesterday and told her that they are getting worse, they are keeping me up at night and getting tighter. She did a cervix check and I am 1.5 cm dilated and 25% effaced, things are moving in the right direction. I have vomited everything I have eaten yesterday, I am starting to get hungry but then I get so nauseous and start burping like crazy. Things seem to be happening.

I can't believe it.

We found a sitter!

Wow, days are flying so fast I can't keep up. First good news, we have been interviewing sitters for the past few weeks and I think we found one!! What a journey that has been, I really feel like it was dating again, except for my unborn child. My husband and I were looking for a stay at home mom (SAHM) to care for her as we enjoy the home atmosphere, the more individualized attention and interaction with other age children. So we met with one woman last night and she met all of our needs, she is a registered daycare provider, she is eco-friendly, loves to give the kids new types of food and has tons of learning activities all around the house. She will work very closely with us and I felt safe with her. We just clicked. I got her name on a Mommies forum (check online to see if they have one near you) and she was everything we have been looking for.

In other news Thursday - my doctor day - went well, I have gained 10 pounds in the pregnancy thus far which is great. (Keep in mind I had two miscarriages and my weight fluctuated with each one, so I am not an emaciated looking preggo) Baby is good, she is still measuring 3 weeks ahead and this doctor seemed so unconcerned by her size she pushed back the ultra sound to December 1. At that point we will have a better understanding of whats going on with her, that is unless she decides to show up early.

We are working on getting her room finished and I am DETERMINED to pack our hospital bags this weekend. I keep saying it but not doing it.

Our due date is exactly one month from today!! HOLY COW!

C-Section talk - Wash your mouth out!

I can't believe its Friday again, its the wee hours of the morning and my bed and I are not getting along. We have consistently been getting home around 9pm all week, so my house is a disaster and I am just worn out but I can't bear to lay down. My legs are restless, my stomach is in the way and I cannot find a comfortable position.

The weekly checkup was yesterday morning, it was fine. I met with a doctor I normally don't. They recommend that in the event you get whoever is on call when you are about to deliver. It was a He. Really no biggie at this point, it seems like everyone has seen me pants off lately but he just didn't know me, asked questions all about my gestational diabetes and as he was walking out he says something about having a big baby and that it looks like we are heading towards a c-section.

Mmmm. Excuse me. What was that, I must have misheard you. Of course I smile and nod, holding back my tears and as soon as the door closes I lower my head and just start crying. My baby is growing quickly, I know she is big for her gestational age, but really is this what everyone is thinking and you were just the first to say it. Now I have really just surrendered myself to the fact that pregnancy is like nothing else you can expect. It doesn't happen on the first try, it doesn't seem to go to the way you think and you sure as hell can't plan anything to do with it. Knowing those things I have not put together a "birth plan" per say but I had an idea of how I would like the birth to be and a c-section was never really in that picture. I would like to labor at home for as long as I can, I would like to see how my body acts, if I want an epidural I will get one, if I feel like I can do it on my own I want to. Now you are telling me to skip steps 1 and 2 and go straight to 3.

I clearly didn't like that answer.

I will be talking to the next doctor next Thursday to hopefully get a different answer. I will go for an ultrasound in a week and a half-ish to check her size again and from there we will have a better understanding of what the next step is. The Mr. thinks they may take me then but at this point who knows.