Wrote this post at 7pm on August 3rd. Just an hour and a half before my water broke. Oh little did I know... I so love reading this now.
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Feels a little better to know that what is happening to me right now is something that happens more often than we hear of. Feels good to know that I'm not alone in having such a hard time with this.
Prodromal Labor: something I'd never learned of before...something that is now extremely real to me.
Maybe these articles will help family/friends to understand what I'm going through right now. It is physically painful and an emotional roller coaster. It's hard to wake up with painful contractions everyday thinking we are going to meet Lilly and then...nothing. Go from super high to low and then high again. It's exhausting. Put this on top of regular pregnancy hormones = not fun.
http://wendyrfuldoula.blogspot.com/2010/10/prodromal-labor-start-and-stop-start.html
http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/990201/what-you-need-to-know-about-prodromal-labor
http://thebirthteacher.blogspot.com/2008/12/prodromal-labor.html
And this...just encouraging right now.
http://thechroniclesofbubs.blogspot.com/2012/06/andrews-birth-story-week-of-prodromal.html
I cannot wait for the day when this pain will bring our Lilly to us, in our arms. Today has been exhausting. Fun, because I stayed calm and was in heaven by how much pain the contractions were bringing to my body. I had several moments of such intense pain that I just "knew" it was real. Nope. I'm thankful for those moments though and continue to remind myself that this cannot last forever. One of these days will be the real thing. One of these days we really will need to head to the hospital and one of these days I really will be holding Lilly...
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Just 6 hours after writing this (and deciding it best to not publish it)...we met our beautiful girl. Life is so crazy.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Days Before Lilly's BIrth...
I wrote these all out the days leading up to Lilly's birth. It was helpful for me to write it all out, I felt better about all my contractions. Funny to read Saturday's posts now knowing she decided to come into the world that night...
Wednesday, July 31st 2013
1:19am timed my first contraction. Started at 8 min apart and then quickly shortened down to 4:30 min apart. Timed them for 2 hours and then stopped as they weren't painful enough. Matt and I decided to go back and lay down (Matt to sleep - me just to chill) to see if they continue. Had to go pee every 20-30 minutes. Tried super hard to not get excited as I didn't want to feel how I felt this past weekend with the disappointment of it all stopping.
4:00am pretty sure the contractions have stopped. I just felt one but not as painful as they were. I could sleep through it if I wanted now. Little bummed. We can go for a walk in the morning, maybe that will help them come back...
9:30am woke up. Went to camp and danced. Played Dance Central. Ate Thai food for lunch. Went for a short morning walk.
Having contractions all day... No patterns. Some with cramping and pain, some just tight. Exhausted from being up all night last night. Also have a kink in my neck/shoulder from sleeping weird. Great... Knowing my luck, she will come now (which is exactly what I've been wanting) but I'm going to be exhausted with unnecessary additional pain.
Thursday, August 1st 2013
Decided to try to not try today. Told that to Matt the second I woke up this morning actually. I'm in so much pain as it is with my back, hips and pelvis. Walking and everything is just hard. We did end up going for a walk this evening, but just a short one, probably around a mile. We had lunch at Costco and ran some errands to the studio and Target, but other than that, we've just chilled here all day.
I've had contractions on and off all throughout the day. Around dinner time they got painful in my lower back, more like pressure. I was going to start timing them, but then decided I didn't feel like it because they didn't hurt enough anyway.
We have just 12 hours until our 38 week appointment. I'm a little nervous to hear whether I've progressed or not. I don't want to be disappointed if I'm still at a 2 and 70% effaced. I'm hoping that I'm at least at a 3 and 70% effaced or a 2 and 80% effaced. Any progress will make me happy at this point.
Still have the annoying kink in my neck/shoulder. Causing some serious pain. It is better than yesterday, so I'm hoping it's gone even more tomorrow. It would really suck to go into labor with this pain on top of everything else.
Friday, August 2nd 2013
8:50am 38 week Appointment. Membranes stripped. Cramping with contractions until around 3pm. Went to breakfast with Matt at The Sammamish Cafe and then we relaxed at home for a bit as I was in a ton of pain (handled well, just not feeling like running around everywhere). It was also raining all day. Around 2pm we went and walked around at the outlets and then by the time we got home everything was done. I went to my friend Casie's house and hung out with her and Jessica until around 9pm. I was exhausted from the day when I got home... I was so glad to have gone over there at night to keep my mind busy while Matt studied for his final.
Saturday, August 3rd 2013
5:00am Woke up from an awful contraction. I thought I was having "real" contractions before...man, this one hurt. I loved it. Then fell back asleep.
7:12am Woke up from another one. This time I decided to stay awake. Matt was already up studying for his final. They kept coming crazy strong all morning. Enough to stop me from what I was doing each time. I stayed busy all morning to make sure they kept coming. They got to 4 min. apart at one point but then started fading again. Last one was at 10:05am. Decided to be okay with them stopping and rest for a while.
11:00am Took Cogsy for an hour long brisk walk when Matt left for his exam, hoping they would come back...they didn't come back strong, just as uncomfortable Braxton Hicks around every 20 minutes. Time to move on with the weekend. She's definitely not coming anytime soon. I'm not going to get my hopes up anymore. Just going to have fun with Matt.
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(written August 10th)
8:30pm same day...water broke. Birth story coming soon
Wednesday, July 31st 2013
1:19am timed my first contraction. Started at 8 min apart and then quickly shortened down to 4:30 min apart. Timed them for 2 hours and then stopped as they weren't painful enough. Matt and I decided to go back and lay down (Matt to sleep - me just to chill) to see if they continue. Had to go pee every 20-30 minutes. Tried super hard to not get excited as I didn't want to feel how I felt this past weekend with the disappointment of it all stopping.
4:00am pretty sure the contractions have stopped. I just felt one but not as painful as they were. I could sleep through it if I wanted now. Little bummed. We can go for a walk in the morning, maybe that will help them come back...
9:30am woke up. Went to camp and danced. Played Dance Central. Ate Thai food for lunch. Went for a short morning walk.
Having contractions all day... No patterns. Some with cramping and pain, some just tight. Exhausted from being up all night last night. Also have a kink in my neck/shoulder from sleeping weird. Great... Knowing my luck, she will come now (which is exactly what I've been wanting) but I'm going to be exhausted with unnecessary additional pain.
Thursday, August 1st 2013
Decided to try to not try today. Told that to Matt the second I woke up this morning actually. I'm in so much pain as it is with my back, hips and pelvis. Walking and everything is just hard. We did end up going for a walk this evening, but just a short one, probably around a mile. We had lunch at Costco and ran some errands to the studio and Target, but other than that, we've just chilled here all day.
I've had contractions on and off all throughout the day. Around dinner time they got painful in my lower back, more like pressure. I was going to start timing them, but then decided I didn't feel like it because they didn't hurt enough anyway.
We have just 12 hours until our 38 week appointment. I'm a little nervous to hear whether I've progressed or not. I don't want to be disappointed if I'm still at a 2 and 70% effaced. I'm hoping that I'm at least at a 3 and 70% effaced or a 2 and 80% effaced. Any progress will make me happy at this point.
Still have the annoying kink in my neck/shoulder. Causing some serious pain. It is better than yesterday, so I'm hoping it's gone even more tomorrow. It would really suck to go into labor with this pain on top of everything else.
Friday, August 2nd 2013
8:50am 38 week Appointment. Membranes stripped. Cramping with contractions until around 3pm. Went to breakfast with Matt at The Sammamish Cafe and then we relaxed at home for a bit as I was in a ton of pain (handled well, just not feeling like running around everywhere). It was also raining all day. Around 2pm we went and walked around at the outlets and then by the time we got home everything was done. I went to my friend Casie's house and hung out with her and Jessica until around 9pm. I was exhausted from the day when I got home... I was so glad to have gone over there at night to keep my mind busy while Matt studied for his final.
Saturday, August 3rd 2013
5:00am Woke up from an awful contraction. I thought I was having "real" contractions before...man, this one hurt. I loved it. Then fell back asleep.
7:12am Woke up from another one. This time I decided to stay awake. Matt was already up studying for his final. They kept coming crazy strong all morning. Enough to stop me from what I was doing each time. I stayed busy all morning to make sure they kept coming. They got to 4 min. apart at one point but then started fading again. Last one was at 10:05am. Decided to be okay with them stopping and rest for a while.
11:00am Took Cogsy for an hour long brisk walk when Matt left for his exam, hoping they would come back...they didn't come back strong, just as uncomfortable Braxton Hicks around every 20 minutes. Time to move on with the weekend. She's definitely not coming anytime soon. I'm not going to get my hopes up anymore. Just going to have fun with Matt.
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(written August 10th)
8:30pm same day...water broke. Birth story coming soon
Thursday, August 8, 2013
She's Here!
It still seems surreal at times. Matt and I keep saying it out loud to one another, "We have a daughter!"
Lillian Belle Lanese
Born on August 4, 2013
1:12am
6 lbs. 9 oz. 18" long
Our sweet girl is now 5 days old. We are loving every second of our time with her. She has brought so much joy to our lives and our love we have for her is something that is really indescribable. My love for Matt has probably tripled. We are a family and we feel so complete. It's unlike anything I've ever felt before. In life I've always been waiting for the next thing...for the first time, I want to hold on to each second of each day for as long as I possibly can. It's an incredible feeling to be so in the moment for the first time. Our Lilly Belle has changed our lives so much for the better.
I will write out our birth story soon. It was incredible and beyond perfect.
Time to go snuggle my loves some more!
Thursday, August 1, 2013
38 Weeks
Little Miss Belle has dropped!
How Far Along? 38 Weeks!
How Big is Baby? Big. According to my app, she is the size of a pumpkin :)
Total Weight Gain: Around 40 lbs.
Maternity Clothes? Always. Some of those are even getting too small. My options are limited when getting dressed everyday.
Stretch Marks? Just the one little one I found a week or two ago.
Sleep: Now that I'm off on maternity leave, I just sleep whenever I'm tired. Middle of the day...11am...6pm...just whenever I feel tired, I sleep.
Best Moment this Week: Friday & Saturday were exciting days thinking she was soon to arrive...I am thankful for those happy days I had and the excitement I got to experience. Tuesday night/Wednesday early morning happened again. Last night (Wednesday night) had tons of contractions...timed about 7 min. apart. Today I've been having them randomly, too. My body is definitely working and she is ready and healthy :)
Miss Anything: Fitting in my clothes.
Movement: Tons. Smaller and tighter and sharper. Super painful.
Food Cravings: Really, really thirsty all the time. And I just eat a lot...
Anything making you queasy or sick: When I eat too much or leaning forward or bending down.
Gender: Lillian Belle...baby girl.
Symptoms: Super swollen feet that get progressively worse throughout the day. Intense back pain. I'm basically in pain 24/7. Sounds fun, huh?
Labor Signs: 2 cm / 70% effaced as of Saturday, 7/28. Lots of contractions. Some are just Braxton Hicks, some are real deal painful.
Labor Signs: 2 cm / 70% effaced as of Saturday, 7/28. Lots of contractions. Some are just Braxton Hicks, some are real deal painful.
Looking Forward to: Lillian's arrival. I am so excited for labor and delivery and to hold my sweet baby in my arms. Excited for our appointment tomorrow morning and to know if I've progressed any more. All these contractions have had to have done something...
Things to Note: Matt and I are both home now all day everyday. Today was a really fun day together. Had a hard morning, but after Matt helped me move on from that craziness we had a really nice day. We just hung out and took a really nice walk together with Cogsy. I made a peanut butter pie, too and we're pumped for dessert tonight :) If this were to be our last day alone together, I wouldn't have had it any other way...lots of silliness and laughing together. We needed a good day like that :)
Things to Note: Matt and I are both home now all day everyday. Today was a really fun day together. Had a hard morning, but after Matt helped me move on from that craziness we had a really nice day. We just hung out and took a really nice walk together with Cogsy. I made a peanut butter pie, too and we're pumped for dessert tonight :) If this were to be our last day alone together, I wouldn't have had it any other way...lots of silliness and laughing together. We needed a good day like that :)
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