38 Weeks...On Becoming A Mom

It's odd that when you first see those two pink lines on the pregnancy test, the first thought that comes to your mind is, "Oh my gosh, I'm pregnant!!!"...NOT "Oh my gosh, I'm going to be a mother!!!". But somehow, over the course of 9 months or so, God somehow transforms your mind (to match your transformed body!). I have three friends who are all due around the same time as me and, this week, one of them passed that threshold from "Pregnant Woman" to "Mom". In talking with her, it really hit home...I am about to become someone's MOTHER! Seems like I should have thought of this before, huh? Well, of course I knew in my brain what it meant to be a mother. You become pregnant and give birth, and then you're responsible for this person. But I think the message finally made it to my heart this week. And as scary as the concept is, it's also incredibly exciting. God has entrusted us with this little tiny soul to love and nurture and teach. As I'm waiting (and waiting...and waiting...) for my day to pass that "Mom" threshold, I've been thinking of all the lessons I've learned from my parents that I'd like to pass on to Molly:

• You are special. God created you to be exactly who you are. He loves you and so do I.
  


• Cozy houses create cozy families. You may step on each other's toes every once in a while, but you also run into each other more often to exchange hugs and "I love you"s.
  


• Bedtime stories are a "given". There is nothing so important in my day that it would keep me from sending you off to sleep with a story from your favorite book.
  


• I will not run your life. I will create boundaries, but they're there because I love you. Within those boundaries, there is plenty of room to stretch your wings and discover who you are.
  


• Prayer is a part of daily life...like eating and sleeping. Families stay close when they take time to talk each day. The same principle applies to our relationship with God.

These are just some of the most important things I learned from my Mom and they have shaped my image of what a mother is to her daughter. She is a teacher, a leader, a disciplinarian, a mentor, and a friend. It is a strange feeling to now have the tables turned, to be the one worrying about my child and how my decisions are affecting her. As we head into the final weeks of pregnancy I find myself having to make decisions about what kind of birth we'll have and who Molly's pediatrician will be and, all of a sudden, I find myself thinking like a mother. She comes first. My first thoughts are no longer, "How will this affect me?". Instead, I find my mind always going first to, "What is best for Molly?". I am a mother.

The official Birth-Day is growing ever closer. We're at 38 weeks, 10 days from the due date, but my uterus measured at 39.5 cm today at the birth center. (The uterine height in centimeters corresponds to the week of pregnancy you're in). The midwife said that little Miss Molly is definitely running out of space in there but it's her decision as to when she wants to come out. The baby's body sends a chemical signal to the placenta to initiate labor when the baby's ready (isn't this process just amazing!!!). Molly doesn't seem to mind that she's running out of room. She's just as active as ever, twirling and flopping all over the place. The midwife felt that she was "sunny-side-up" at today's appointment (her back facing my back rather than her back facing my belly). But I assured the midwife that she'd pick a new position at least five more times today. And, lo and behold, as soon as we arrived home, that little tushie was poking out, front and center once again!

At 38 weeks, the average baby could weigh anywhere from 5 to 9 pounds and measure in at anywhere from 17 to 21 inches in length. Even though it feels like this journey should be coming to an end, Molly is busy taking care of some last minute business. She is shedding the lanugo (fine downy hairs) and vernix (white oily moisturizer) that's been protecting her skin and keeping her warm for the last 9 months. Her lungs are also busy producing more surfactant. This super-important substance prevents the air sacs in her lungs from sticking to each other when she takes her first breaths. The reason many babies have trouble breathing if labor is induced before 40 weeks gestation is because their lungs had not finished producing surfactant. So, we will wait patiently for our little girl to decide when she's ready to make her debut. We can't wait to meet you, Molly!!!

Weeks 36 & 37: Don't Forget Your Swim Trunks!

Well, the time is ticking by, slowly but surely, as we approach our due date(s). Our first ultrasound pinpointed a due date of July 31st and the little magic spinning wheel that the midwife uses points to August 1st, neither of which probably make much difference to little Miss Molly. I think she'll choose to grace us with her presence when she's good and ready, which we hope is soon! My bets are on August 4th since that will mark 5 months from the day I first felt movement...an old-wives tale trick to determining the due date. Eric hasn't officially placed any bets yet, but he's HOPING for, well, tomorrow. I think he's more impatient than I am! Any other bets out there? If you bet spot on, we may even be able to scrounge up some kind of prize for you :-)

We're up to weekly visits to the Birth Center now that we're in the homestretch, which will switch to daily visits if we go past 41 weeks. So far, everything's been going perfectly. Weight gain is average (30 lbs.), blood pressure is normal (110/70), Molly's heart rate has been hanging right around 150 bpm and my iron measured at 12.6 (anything above 11 is normal). The midwives always tell me I'm their easiest patient all day. Hopefully, the labor will follow the same pattern!

Eric had the opportunity to attend my birth center appointment today and we got a personal tour of the birthing suites. Each of the suites has a full-size bed, private balcony, private bathroom, birthing tub, rocking chair, changing table, bassinet and lots of "labor-helps" (birthing balls, stereo, candles, etc.). They even have a full kitchen where we can prepare meals for after the birth. They do have all the standard emergency equipment that any labor and delivery room would have, but they keep it all neatly hidden away so it won't make you feel like you're in a hospital. The nurse who was giving us our tour was rattling off a list of items we may want to bring with us (iPod, food, etc.) and she had one specific item that she was adamant that Eric NOT forget: his swim trunks. She said that one dad a few weeks ago did not feel the need to bring his swim trunks and the nurses and midwives were not too pleased about the situation! Of course, they encourage the dads to be in the tub with the mom, but this nurse said she didn't sign up for naked dads when she went into labor and delivery! Swim trunks, CHECK!

Now that we've reached the 37th week, Molly is offically considered to be "full-term", which basically means "all systems are go" for life in the outside world. Her lungs are fully mature, her nervous system is working properly, and her digestive system is ready for its first meal. She probably weighs about 6 1/2 pounds and is about 20 inches long. She'll continue to add fat under her skin until her delivery, but as far as growth and maturing, she's pretty much "done". To keep busy until her big debut, Molly's continuing to practice the skills she'll use daily in the extra-utero world: inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid (to exercise her lungs), sucking her thumb (to practice for feeding), blinking, and pivoting from side to side. I've noticed a pretty consistent activity schedule that tends to fall into a 2-hour cycle, especially at night. Her "belly dancing" tends to wake me at midnight, 2am, 4am, and 6am. We'll see if she keeps that same schedule once she's here on the outside. At least she's consistent.

Weeks 34 & 35: Prepared...Mind, Body, and Spirit

I was never a Girl Scout, but I’ve lived my entire life by their motto, “Be Prepared”. I was the 8-year-old who, three weeks before summer camp, already had my packing list finalized. And it included everything but the kitchen sink because, hey, I had to be prepared for every possible eventuality. As a student, my backpack was always filled with two of everything a week before the first day of school. As a teacher, I’m always the one with extra student rosters on every field trip and a bag filled with sunscreen, water bottles and extra sweatshirts. Well, this little personality quirk of mine has come out full force in the face of pregnancy. From the day we found out we were expecting, I’ve read every single book and article I could get my hands on. I read safety reviews on carseats before we even had the pregnancy confirmed by a doctor. I had the nursery decorated in my mind months ago and the actual tasks of furniture assembly and decorating have been done for weeks now.

I’ve been steadily preparing my body for the rigors of pregnancy, labor, and birth in many ways. Everything from prenatal yoga to pelvic tilts, squats, and, of course, Kegals have found their way into my daily routines. I’ve been walking about 4 miles each day and practicing all the relaxation exercises we learned in our Bradley childbirth class.

I’ve also been preparing my mind for labor and birth by reading everything I can about natural childbirth, relaxation techniques and the ins and outs of the entire process. Eric and I have even done several labor rehearsals where we practice timing contractions and dealing with possible contingencies.

Last, but certainly not least, I’ve prepared my spirit for this entire process. I’ve spent a lot of time praying over the little tiny girl growing and dancing inside me. I have a sense of peace about the labor, birth, and our journey into parenthood because I know that it’s all in the Lord’s hands.

Well, I’ve run into a little problem with my obsession with preparedness. That is that I’m over-prepared WAY too early!!! Every last essential item (and a lot of non-essential items) has been purchased, unwrapped, washed and found a place in the nursery. Not only are all the newborn clothes washed, folded, and put away, but I’ve even purchased and organized clothes all the way up through the 24 month size! Every book has been read. Every relaxation technique has been practiced again and again. I’ve started filling the freezer with meals for the postpartum weeks. My labor playlist is loaded onto my iPod and, yes, I even have the packing list all done for our trip to the birth center. Yet, we have at least three weeks, if not six or seven weeks before Molly is likely to make her grand entrance. What’s an over-prepared girl to do with her time? My days are spent reading, journaling, napping and, now, watching Wimbledon. But, the time just seems to creep by at an infinitely slow pace. Everyone tells me that Molly will be here before I know it, but it just seems to be so far away. I just can’t wait to meet her. I want to kiss her little hands and stroke her cheeks. I want to watch her sleep and see her dance, rather than just guessing at her activities based on the bulges moving across my belly. I know she’ll come when SHE’S ready, but Molly, I just want to let you know that your mama is ready for you anytime you want to come!

At 35 weeks, Molly probably weighs about 5 lbs. and is about 18 inches long, although the midwife is convinced she’s longer. My uterus is measuring one week ahead of gestation in length because Molly’s taking up so much space. Her head is crammed all the way down into my pelvis but her little tiny tushie has found its way right up under my ribs, which puts her feet right in my stomach on a regular basis. If the midwife is right, we may be in for a tall girl who takes after her Poppy Schillinger. Her physical development (liver, lungs, kidneys, etc.) is complete. Most of her time now will just be spent putting on weight and adding folds and neurons to her developing brain, a process that will continue throughout the toddler years. Sounds like you’re done cooking to me, Miss Molly. Whenever you’re ready to meet your family, we’re prepared for you…perhaps over-prepared :-)

33 Weeks and HOT HOT HOT!!!

Some drastic changes have occurred in our North Carolina weather over the course of this 33rd week of pregnancy. As you'll notice by my clothing in the picture, the beginning of Week 33 was cloudy, rainy, and somewhat chilly for NC standards in June. But that didn't last long. By the end of the week, we were in the mid 90's, hazy and humid. I'm seriously considering purchasing a kiddie wading pool and just living in it for the next 6 weeks or so. It would be good psychological practice for the water birth we're planning at the birth center :-)

The heat, in conjunction with my blossoming belly and crazy hormones, has turned me into one hot mama and forced some compromises on the part of my ever-patient husband. He has learned not to argue when he finds the AC once again lowered by a degree (or two), which goes against the grain of his frugal "Fruehism". He's also been forced to pull out a few extra quilts to wrap up when we sleep because I blast the ceiling fan over our bed and sleep with no covers. What a trooper!

Now that I’m mostly done with school-related responsibilities, it’s been much easier to put all the finishing touches on the nursery, including hanging her “Molly” letters above her crib. I’m extremely happy with how the whole room turned out! We’re both so glad we chose to go with the orange paint for the room. It was really a leap of faith when we first did it, but I think the wall color really “makes” the room. Sometimes I just go in there to sit or read or daydream. I look at the crib and wonder, “What will she look like? Will she be short, dark and curly-haired? Or tall, blonde and straight-haired? Or some combination in-between? What will her personality be? Shy? Outgoing? Tom-boy? Girly? Book-worm? Athlete?” Now that the nursery is done and we’ve made all of our final purchases (diapers, wipes, carseat), it feels like we’re just waiting for Molly to arrive. But all of our timely planning and preparations have left us with 6 weeks to wait for the Big Arrival. My challenge now is to wait with joy and patience at a time when complaining and impatience could easily take over.

The next 6 weeks are important; Molly’s not done growing yet! At the end of 33 weeks, she weighs over 4.5 pounds and will gain about ½ pound each week between now and D-Day (Delivery Day). She is over 17 inches long and is running out of room to maneuver in my uterus. At this point, my amniotic fluid levels have maxed out, but she will continue to grow. This means she won’t have the freedom to do many acrobatic moves anymore…mostly just kicks, jabs, and nudges (which I’m definitely feeling in full force!). Fortunately, she’s been settled in the head-down position for months now, so there’s no need to worry about her needing to flip over. The only down-side to this upside down situation is the constant presence of little feet in my stomach and ribcage. I’ll be glad when those little feet are on the outside where I can kiss and squeeze them rather than have them kicking my ribs :-) One major task that’s being accomplished in these last few weeks is the development of Molly’s immune system. My body is hard at work passing on antibodies from my bloodstream to hers that will protect her against viruses and bacteria that are currently in our environment or that I may have encountered in the past. These immunities will continue to be passed into her bloodstream through the umbilical cord until it is cut, at which point my breastmilk will take over as her major source of immunity until her immune system is mature enough to handle these threats on its own. Pretty cool, huh? I’m continually amazed at how God has worked out this whole system so perfectly!

32 Weeks: School's Out for the Summer!

Sweet Freedom!!! The school year is over! The last month has been incredibly busy as the school year has been wrapping up. Between administering EOG (end-of-grade) tests, chaperoning the 3-day 8th grade trip to Williamsburg, planning 8th grade graduation, and generally just keeping the kids under control, I feel like I've just run a marathon. Amongst all the craziness, our teaching staff still found some time to have a little "baby fun". One of my co-workers, Rayna, is also pregnant (far right in photo). Everyone else got in on the fun with some help from a few watermelons. The funny thing is, it looks like I'm just carrying a watermelon under my shirt just like everyone else! On top of teacher duties, the last month has also been filled with more baby showers, lots of travel, and another crash of our computer. But now that life is slowing down and with the help of a new computer, we're back in the blogging business. I apologize for the hiatus. I did manage to find some time to have my blossoming belly henna tattooed, thanks to the skills of an OCS student's mom. Don't worry, Papa...it's NOT real and it's already worn off ;-)

We received GREAT news at our last ultrasound: The placenta previa is completely resolved. Since the placenta is no longer covering the cervix, we've been cleared for a natural delivery at the Birth Center. Eric and I both breathed a big sigh of relief when we received that news. Thank you so much to all of you who've been praying for the situation. We didn't get too much else out of ultrasound because it appears we have a stubborn little wiggle-worm on our hands. Throughout the entire ultrasound, Molly had her face jammed right up against the edge of my uterus. It was like trying to take a picture of someone's face while holding the camera about 2 inches from their nose. The ultrasound technician said it looked like she was trying to peek out at us. Her eyes were open the whole time as if she really did want to get a glimpse at the world outside. She was also showing off a bit for her proud parents. Several times, she took her entire fist and popped it into her mouth and then popped it out again. It's not a skill that will get her into any Ivy League schools, but we found it quite amusing.

For Memorial Day weekend, Eric and I traveled to Pittsburgh for a marathon weekend that included two baby showers (one for me and one for Eric's cousin) and an engagement party. Other than some swollen ankles and arriving home a bit tired, we survived the weekend and had a fantastic time visiting with many family members that we haven't seen since Christmas. Eric's mom hosted a fun baby shower on her back porch which looked like it had been transformed into baby-themed Italian cafe with bistro tables, flowers, and colorful tablecloths. I was overwhelmed by all the generous and adorable gifts we received, including our entire nursery set. Eric and I were both so excited that, as soon as we got home, we assembled the crib and set up all the bedding...dust ruffle, bumper, and all. It really looks like a nursery now and not just a guest room filled with baby clothes. It's hard to believe that in about 8 weeks there's going to be a little tiny person moving into our house and our lives. Sometimes it seems to have gone so fast.

It's a good thing that school is done because, as I'm heading into the 8th month of pregnancy, all of the third trimester symptoms have kicked into overdrive...fatigue, heartburn, swelling, backache, and an extremely active little girl who's running out of room and has taken to invading my ribcage as a means of enlarging her living quarters. I'm just thankful to be home in my air conditioning with my feet up, sipping a large glass of ice water, and spending some precious quality time with Eric as we await the new member of our family. As we start the 8th month, Molly is weighing in at about 4 pounds and is approaching her full-term length at around 19 inches long. My midwife is convinced we're in for a "tall" baby despite two petite parents because, when she feels Molly from the outside, her torso takes up nearly the entire length of my abdomen (which may explain the feet lodged in my ribcage). The genes for height are there on both sides...we'll just have to wait and see! As Molly packs on the pounds, her skin has moved from transparent to opaque due to fat accumulating under her skin. By the time she makes her debut to the world, she'll hopefully be a pleasantly plump little baby. I think my before-bed snack of ice cream may help out in this department. It's the only thing that really prevents night-time heartburn. That's my story and I'm sticking to it ;-)