14 March 2005
39 Weeks & 6 Days Pregnant (and NOT pregnant anymore!)

I was up most of last night with mild period-like cramping. I decided to time the cramping since I thought it could be contractions (trying to be positive!). They were coming between 3 and 8 minutes apart and lasting 30-90 seconds, but with no real pattern and not getting any stronger. I also noticed some pink and red spotting when I went to the bathroom throughout the night. Since I had an appointment this morning to get my membranes stripped, I figured I'd just bring it up at the appointment.

Craig came with me to my doctor's appointment and my mom stayed at the house. I told Dr. Reed what had been going on and she didn't think it sounded like a big deal (since I was calm and said that the cramping wasn't painful). She started the internal exam and was going to strip my membranes when she exclaimed that I was already dilated to 6cm and that I should get to labor & delivery! I was in a little disbelief and did ask if I could go home and get stuff for the hospital or if I should have my mom bring it by (I was hoping to get some more to eat and drink before checking in to the hospital) but Dr. Reed said to have my mom bring our stuff and to get to the hospital right away.

Craig & I went straight from our 10:50 appointment to the hospital... as soon as I got there I wished we had stopped to get lunch and something to drink since I knew I would be limited to ice chips, popsicles, and suckers once admitted. We called my mom and had her bring our bags that I had packed ahead of time (thank goodness, the only things she needed to gather were the camera, video camera, and our toiletries). She stopped to drop everything off and then went to pick up my dad at the airport where he was taking a test for work.

I sat in the rocker and the birthing ball in my room and Craig & I walked up and down the halls after I got the heparin lock set in my right hand (they had tried to put it in my left arm, but couldn't get it in right there, so they put it in my hand instead). The heparin lock hurt more than my contractions.

We decided to let Dr. Reed break the bag of waters around 4:30 PM to get things moving along since my contractions weren't really getting more intense and I was still dilated to 6cm. Craig and I decided to walk the halls again to get things moving. Around 6 PM, the contractions really started to come on strong. I got a little discouraged when the nurse reported that I was only dilated to 7cm around 6:30, but kept with it (since I obviously had no choice--but this is where I thought if I wasn't so stubborn, I might actually request some drugs) because I knew there would be an end to the pain eventually. I tried the rocker, the birthing ball, and some ideas from the nurse, but nothing seemed to be working for me. In the end, lying on my side in the bed seemed the best since I could grip onto the side rails.

I kept my eyes closed for the majority of the time and did a lot of screaming (my parents could hear from outside the room! I think I was so free with the screaming from being used to yelling in Taekwondo for the past year.). Craig was an excellent labor coach and helped me through each contraction like a pro. Once I was dilated to 9cm, the labor nurse suggested doing lunges to move things to the pushing stage.

Finally it was time to push! Craig thinks I pushed for about an hour (I had absolutely no concept of time throughout the process) and although pushing was really hard physically, it was a lot less painful than the contractions had been up to that point. Finally Dr. Reed and Craig said they could see the baby's head and that really helped motivate me to get her out--I just wanted to be finished!

At 8:59 PM, on Monday, March 14, 2005, Anna Adele Martin was born! She weighed 7 pounds 15 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. She is absolutely perfect and just adorable... more so than we could have ever imagined!

Craig cut the cord (although he had told me earlier that he wasn't interested in doing it) and I was incredibly shaky after delivery which I hadn't really expected. I was finally not working so hard and all of the sweat in the cool room made me cold, but I think the shaking was more from physical exhaustion than the chills. Immediately after the birth is a bit of a blur, but I know they handed Anna to me pretty much right away--maybe they wiped her off a little bit, but I just don't remember. I know the whole thing seemed surreal: this is our baby?

After a little bit, they took Anna to clean and weigh her and my parents came in to meet her. They were impressed with her perfectly round head and they, of course, thought she was beautiful, too. We tried out nursing shortly after that (I wanted to make sure to try it within an hour after her birth) and it seemed to go pretty well for a couple of first timers which was great news. After that though I felt like I didn't get to see much of Anna. She was in the room with me but there was a piece of equipment between us and I had a hard time seeing into her bassinet.

I had to have a catheter because I could not go to the bathroom after delivery and I needed to empty my bladder so that my uterus would move back to its proper position. This was actually a good thing because that meant I wasn't having to get up and down all night long (and I hadn't not gotten up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night since about August or September!). Craig was excellent about comforting Anna when she fussed during the night and bringing her to me when we thought it was time for her to nurse.

We celebrated Craig's & Anna's birthdays the next day with some Cheesecake Factory cheesecake (that I had my parents go out to buy while I was in labor because I was starving & I knew they were waiting by the door!). Anna is such an amazing little girl and we are so lucky to have her in our lives!

10 March 2005
39 Weeks & 2 Days Pregnant

I am back from my doctor's appointment and I am now 2-3cm dilated but still 50% effaced. She didn't strip my membranes this time, but I will go back on Monday morning to have that done. She said the baby is still high, and it would be more comfortable for me if the baby drops a little before we do the membrane stripping. But I think we'll do it either way on Monday.

We got our car seat inspected this past weekend at a health fair at one of the hospitals in town so now we know we've got it installed properly. Also, we went on a tour of the family birthing center on Monday so now Craig knows where to go get ice chips, heat up my rice sock in the microwave, etc.

Your Pregnancy Week by Week says Baby Girl is about 14.4 inches (36 cm) crown-to-rump length, about 21.5 inches (48 cm) total length, and weighs about 6.8 pounds (3.1 kg) this week. I have gained 38.5 pounds according to my home scale.

3 March 2005
38 Weeks & 2 Days Pregnant

My doctor's appointment was rescheduled again from yesterday to today! Apparently both doctors had to go to a meeting in Houston in the afternoon--and they didn't know about it until the day before? I can't believe this office, I am really not impressed with them at all. At least I don't have many more appointments left to reschedule now!

At my long awaited appointment, both Dr. Reed and the nurse commented on how we've got a "big" baby again! Dr. Reed said that I am 2cm dilated and 50% effaced and that Baby Girl is in the head-down position.

On Tuesday I think I had the most discomfort I had experienced in one day so far. I think I was having some braxton-hicks contractions ("practice" contractions, these contractions don't dilate or efface my cervix at all) and Baby was adjusting around so much that I kept getting her "big" butt sticking out of my stomach throughout the day. She did it again yesterday, but not nearly as much. I also didn't have very many braxton-hicks contractions yesterday so I can't really say that I feel any different...

I am finally getting started on packing my bag for the hospital (Baby's bag has been packed for a week now) so I guess that means I'm ready for her arrival! I think it helps that Craig came home yesterday from Angola so now it is safe to have her. My dad installed the carseat base in the CRV on Monday and my mom made roman shades for Baby's room last week. I still have a bunch of things on my to-do list, but none are directly baby related so I'm not too stressed about them (although I do realize it will be easier to get those things done now than it will be once Baby is here.

Your Pregnancy Week by Week says Baby Girl is about 14 inches (35 cm) crown-to-rump length, about 21 inches (47 cm) total length, and weighs about 6.8 pounds (3.1 kg) this week. (She's not growing any longer now, just gaining weight.) I have gained 39 pounds according to my home scale.

25 February 2005
37 Weeks & 3 Days Pregnant

My doctor's appointment was canceled this morning due to my Doctor delivering a baby and then performing surgery this afternoon. So I won't go until Wednesday now. Oh well, since I feel just fine and I've felt the baby so much this week, it doesn't bother me too much (at least they told me why they had to reschedule this time!).

Of course Baby was much more wiggly this week after the whole non-stress-test thing last week (not that I'm complaining!). I feel pretty good except for hip pain when I'm sleeping... I generally have to get up out of bed in the morning because both of my hips hurt, not because I'm not sleepy anymore! I have been sleeping well this past week though, which is great. I have been getting fatigued during the day though and have been taking naps as well (so it's even better that I can take a nap and sleep through the whole night (minus one trip to the bathroom each night)).

My mom and I have been washing baby clothes and blankets this week so Baby will have some things to wear when she gets here. The stroller frame for the car seat also arrived this week. It's lightweight, compact, and easy to fold and unfold; so I'm pretty happy with it so far, but that doesn't mean much when I haven't actually gotten a chance to use it.

Craig will be back next week, so as far as I'm concerned, Baby can arrive any time after he gets here!

Your Pregnancy Week by Week says Baby Girl is about 14 inches (35 cm) crown-to-rump length, about 21 inches (47 cm) total length, and weighs about 6.5 pounds (2.95 kg) this week. I have gained 34.5 pounds according to my home scale.

20 February 2005
36 Weeks & 5 Days Pregnant

At my appointment on Friday I told the doctor (a new one that I hadn't met yet) that all week I had felt less movement and it wasn't as predictable as it had been before. She listened to the heartbeat and said it sounded fine, but why don't we put you on the fetal monitor for a little bit just to be sure. So they strapped two monitors to my belly; one for the baby's heartbeat and the other for measuring contractions. I had a little clicker to click each time I felt the baby. The nurse said we'll leave you here for 15 minutes and see what happens. So 15 minutes goes by and she tore off the report to show the doctor and the doctor said to stay on for another 10. Then the nurse came back after showing the doctor that reading and the doctor says, why don't you go get your mom from the airport, eat a big lunch, and then go to labor & delivery to be monitored. Apparently I had one contraction on the monitor so she wanted to be safe. (The doctor did an internal exam and said that the baby is still high and nothing is going on in there.)

So, I picked up my mom from the airport and we went to Saltgrass for lunch. We went to the hospital and I got monitored there for an hour (they called this a non-stress test at the hospital although it was the same thing as at the doctor's minus the clicker for tracking fetal movement). They said everything looked great and baby was doing fine and that I could go home.

The doctor was just being overly cautious, which I do appreciate, but hopefully I won't have to go back the "triage" room at Labor & Delivery again until it's really time!

We are still stuck on a name for our little girl... we are going to go in with a list of names and hopefully one will just feel right when we meet her! Our list this week is: Anna, Audrey, Elena, and Maya.

Your Pregnancy Week by Week says Baby Girl is about 13.5 inches (34 cm) crown-to-rump length, about 20.7 inches (46 cm) total length, and weighs about 6 pounds (2.75 kg) this week. I have gained 31 pounds according to my home scale.

9 February 2005
35 Weeks & 1 Day Pregnant

Only 34 days to go until the due date! Craig left this morning for Angola, so we've asked Baby to stay put at least until he gets back in early March. I'm so glad he was able to come home for 2.5 weeks so he could feel Baby rolling around in my ever-expanding belly (my belly button which was starting to become an "outie" at night was already "out" this morning!), to go to the classes at the hospital, and to meet our doctor.

Our first Prepared Childbirth class was OK. I think Craig got more out of it than I did, probably because he hasn't done any reading on childbirth yet (he left with his Birth Partner book packed in his carry-on luggage this morning). My mom will come down on Thursday this week and go to the 2nd class with me on Saturday. She'll have to give Craig a crash-course when he gets back.

I got the baby album in the mail yesterday! It is part traditional album, part scrapbook and it is super-cute. I'm excited but I am nervous about writing in it since my handwriting is so messy sometimes. I will do my best to make it neat so that my daughter can actually read what I've written in it twenty years from now!

Up until this week, I haven't had too many dreams about our baby (I've had dreams where I was conscious I was pregnant, but nothing specific about our baby), but the last two nights in a row I've had dreams about her. In the first, I was still pregnant but her head was poking so far out of my belly (stretching the skin, not actually coming out of me!) that I could see her ears and hold her head (strange that this didn't hurt in my dream, I can't imagine how painful that would be if it really happened!). In last night's dream, she was already born (love that I skipped right over labor & delivery!) and she had a lot of blonde hair. Of course I thought she was super cute and I was really excited to be hanging out with her. Maybe this is my mind's way of distracting myself from delivering a potentially Texas-sized baby next month and focusing on Baby's arrival...

Your Pregnancy Week by Week says Baby Girl is about 13.2 inches (33 cm) crown-to-rump length, about 20.25 inches (45 cm) total length, and weighs about 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg) this week. I have gained 27.5 pounds according to my home scale.

4 February 2005
34 Weeks & 3 Days Pregnant

I had my 34-week appointment this morning and although everything looks fine, the doctor said "ooh, this is going to be a big baby." Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but what can I do? Craig was able to come to my appointment and ask his questions and meet our doctor which was really nice. I will start going every week after my 36-week appointment on February 18 and they will also start doing internal exams at my 36-week appointment.

The car seat arrived this week! I haven't tried to install it in the car yet, but it looks like it will be a good fit. I think the only other "major" item I'm waiting for is the car seat carrier. Of course I still have many things to do to prepare for Baby's arrival, but at least now we'll be able to drive her home from the hospital in her new car seat!

Your Pregnancy Week by Week says Baby Girl is about 12.8 inches (32 cm) crown-to-rump length, about 19.8 inches (44 cm) total length, and weighs about 5 pounds (2.28 kg) this week.

29 January 2005
33 Weeks & 4 Days Pregnant

Craig and I went to our Pediatric CPR and Baby Basics classes this week. I went to the Breastfeeding Basics class by myself this morning. Pediatric CPR was good, but made me really nervous, thinking perhaps I shouldn't be left alone with our daughter! I do feel better knowing what to do in an emergency, I just don't particularly enjoy thinking about potential emergencies! Our Baby Basics class was great, I think especially for Craig. I have been reading books on what to expect, but Craig hasn't been so a lot of the information was new to him. We got to practice swaddling the baby, putting on diapers, cord care, and some other basics. My breastfeeding class didn't provide any really new information for me since I'd already read the breastfeeding section in What to Expect the First Year; however, I do plan to check out at least one other breastfeeding book before Baby arrives just so I have another perspective on the issue.

Your Pregnancy Week by Week says Baby Girl is about 12 inches (30 cm) crown-to-rump length, about 19.4 inches (43 cm) total length, and weighs about 4.4 pounds (2 kg) this week.

24 January 2005
32 Weeks & 6 Days Pregnant

I finally made some progress last week in the nursery. We got the crib, crib sheets, skirt, & bumper in the mail as well as several other baby items. I still need a dresser/changing table and to do something in her closet to make it usable. I will post some "during" pictures of the nursery on the photographs page.

I had either a cold or a flu on Thursday and Friday last week (I was achy and had a sore throat) that has progressed into pure nasal congestion which could be just allergies (which I've never had before) and not a cold. At any rate, I didn't have much of an appetite on Friday so I didn't have much to eat before my appointment and wasn't feeling very well when I went in. The nurse came in to measure my belly and listen to the heartbeat and for her to do that, they ask me to lie down on the examining table which is on an incline (in Korea it was absolutely flat!). I think I must have been sitting too low on the incline because I started feeling dizzy, faint, and nauseous and the only thing that helped was to lie on my left side. The doctor said that my uterus was most likely putting too much pressure on a major artery and that is what made me feel so horrible. I felt fine the rest of the day but still felt tired and achy from my cold/flu--but anything felt better than the dizziness & nausea!

Craig came home Friday night and will be here for two weeks! We went to Babies R Us on Saturday to get a mattress for the crib (I assembled the crib by myself but thought I'd let Craig pick out a mattress and experience Babies R Us so he would feel "involved"). I'm sure he would have rather just had me do it myself, but it's not fair for him to get get out of all of the work! I'm hoping to buy some shelves for the closet in Baby's room for him to install before he leaves, too. We are going to a pediatric CPR class and to an infant care class at the hospital this week and Craig will hopefully be able to go to my doctor's appointment next week (and meet Dr. Reed) and also attend the first of the three childbirth preparedness classes (my mom will still attend the second and third classes).

Your Pregnancy Week by Week says Baby Girl is about 11.6 inches (29 cm) crown-to-rump length, about 18.9 inches (42 cm) total length, and weighs about 4 pounds (1.8 kg) this week. According to my home scale, I've gained 22 pounds so far (up to last week, I forgot to weigh myself this morning!).

15 January 2005
31 Weeks & 4 Days Pregnant

I have been really busy with moving back to Texas and trying to get the house set up again... Yesterday I had to put Tillie to sleep so I've been having a difficult time with that, I wish our little girl could have gotten to know Tillie as I'm sure they would have been the best of friends.

The baby has been wiggling around somewhat uncomfortably this week, she's getting bigger and there is less and less room for her to stretch out. It is still fun to have her moving around in there even if it is a little uncomfortable.

My parents moved all of the furniture around upstairs this week so that all that is in Baby's room is the la-z-boy, a book case, and the chest my dad built (and my mom painted) for me when I graduated high school. I finally got my second shipment of things from Korea which included all of my shower gifts so I am now sure of what I have and don't have and can start filling in the gaps.

I had a second shower in Colorado while I was there, thanks to Corrine (thanks again!). We got a lot of really great stuff for Baby including, of course, more super-cute baby girl clothes--it's just too fun to shop for clothes for a little girl!

My doctor's appointment was fairly uneventful again last week. My mom came with me and she got to see Baby kicking the nurse's doppler away as she was trying to find Baby's heartbeat. I met with the second doctor (Dr. Walker) in the practice and liked her probably just a bit more than my own doctor (Dr. Reed). I am realizing though, at this point, that it really doesn't matter which doctor is there for delivery because it will be the nurses at the hospital who are there more than the doctor and, more importantly, mom or Craig.

The results from the blood draw I had in December indicated that my iron levels are a little low so I did get some iron supplement samples that I am taking every other day.

Your Pregnancy Week by Week says Baby Girl is about 11.2 inches (28 cm) crown-to-rump length, about 18 inches (40 cm) total length, and weighs about 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg) this week.

31 December 2004
29 Weeks & 3 Days Pregnant

Rachel & Mat welcomed Samuel Anders into the world on the 27th! He is tiny, but when I think of the path babies take to get into the world, he doesn't seem small enough... a few moments of panic about childbirth have begun to unsettle my nerves! Craig and I went up to the hospital to see Sam and Rachel & Mat and get a taste of what part of that first day might be like when our little girl arrives. We've also spent a few days in and out of their house to get a taste of having a newborn around... it's a little scary, but I'm sure we'll be able to handle it!

I spent Christmas day with the flu and it was not fun having Baby kicking my stomach when I was feeling nauseous... She has been moving around a lot this past week--not kicking as much as wiggling around, which I actually enjoy more than the kicking although it feels even more strange.

Your Pregnancy Week by Week says Baby Girl is about 10.4 inches (26 cm) crown-to-rump length, about 16.7 inches (37 cm) total length, and weighs about 2.7 pounds (1.25 kg) this week.

22 December 2004
28 Weeks & 1 Day Pregnant

My first US doctor's appointment went well although I must admit I was a little disappointed by no ultrasound! They measured my belly with a measuring tape and listened to Baby's heartbeat on the doppler... sort of anticlimactic not getting to see her again.

It was a little strange meeting my doctor for the first time at 28 weeks, but it was also pretty novel to just be able to talk to her and ask her questions without concentrating on understanding her English! I think now that I'm home it's getting more real that this is happening.. and it is happening soon!

Your Pregnancy Week by Week says Baby Girl is about 10 inches (25 cm) crown-to-rump length, 15.75 inches (35 cm) total length, and weighs about 2.4 pounds (1.1 kg) this week.

17 December 2004
27 Weeks & 3 Days Pregnant

Baby Girl and I are back in Texas! The flight from Tokyo to Houston wasn't too bad at all, it really helped that I was in business class and was able to lie down and keep my feet elevated. I also made sure to drink plenty of water which also helped me to get up regularly to stretch (and to go to the bathroom!).

I noticed on the flight between 12 AM and 4 AM Korean time when I was awake that Baby was really active. She must be active while I'm sleeping a lot more than I realized. I think she must be confused by my trying to adjust to the time change, too, since I'm noticing she's pretty active at what seems to me to be different times than usual.

My doctor's appointment for Monday has to be rescheduled, I haven't heard back from the doctor's office as to why it isn't happening Monday or when I'll have my appointment yet, but I'm pretty miffed. I have had this appointment since August and I'll be 28 weeks next week and haven't even met my doctor yet! I'm not concerned about getting an exam or anything like that, I just really wanted to meet the doctor! Hopefully I'll be able to reschedule before I go to Colorado otherwise I will have to wait until January and I'm 30 or 31 weeks to meet her! I was hoping to meet her sooner in case I don't feel like she is a fit, now I'm running out of time to have a backup plan in that regard. Thankfully I've heard some really good things about the doctors in this practice so I'm not too worried about it, just frustrated!

Your Pregnancy Week by Week says Baby Girl is about 9.6 inches (24cm) crown-to-rump and weighs about 2 pounds (1kg) this week. (Dr Lee also said she weighs about 1kg during the ultrasound on Monday.)